Bloody Roar III: Deception Strikes From Within
by Tiger5913
Summary: (Updated: Chapter 8! Surprise!) Yugo and five of his allies go to the U.S.A. with the intention of helping with the zoanthrope problems there, but run into trouble as problems and old grudges mixed in with vengence arise.
1. Default Chapter

3/22/01

3/22/01

Disclaimer: the characters such as Uriko, Kenji, etc. belong to Hudson Soft; Strider Hiryu belongs to Marvel Vs. Capcom; Erika Daweson, Matthew Farley, Danielle Kaysley, and Adam Takiyo belong to me

Dedication: God, my parents, my 'brothers', Hudson for creating Bloody Roar I-III, and my readers, especially PokeDigi, StarryPeach, Xion, LazzyQ, Alica, Deoku, VGuyver, Flyby, and Niteflite.

Special dedication to ~ StarryPeach, who was the one that pushed my review count to over 1000, thus being the one that got me to start uploading my Bloody Roar III sequel novel. Luv ya girl!

****

Bloody Roar III: Deception Strikes From Within

By Tiger5913

Sequel to Bloody Roar III: Reunited by Chance, a Reflection of the Past

__

A new adventure begins

Different setting, unfamiliar

Territory; their knowledge is

A bit naïve, confused of what

Path to follow, who to trust.

New alliances are forged and new

Enemies show themselves, but

With so many foes, who are the

Ones that they should really be

Battling against; should they fight,

Even if they are the least bit

Uncertain of their real opposition?

When the light of truth shines

And everything is revealed

What will await the fighters,

A delighted prestigious victory

Or… will things end in tragedy?

****

Prologue

The explosion was deafening.

Even at their distance, the fighters could discreetly hear it and an invisible wave of impact emitted from the source, lashing out at the surroundings. They were both lifted off their feet and flew in different directions, one of them crying out in pain as his back slammed into a brick wall. He languidly slid to the floor on his bottom and rose to his knees with a strained grimace.

"She'll never know now, hahahahaha!!" came the mocking laugh of his previous opponent from the shadows.

The first figure's eyes widened in fear. Trying to ignore the angry welts marred on his body that were beginning to burn, he weakly got to his feet and hobbled over to the ruins. The harsh wind bit and tore at his exposed skin unmercifully, provoking his open wounds. He gritted his teeth and moved on foreword, an image in his mind slowly withering from disintegrating hope.

_She's all right; she just has to be,_ the young male thought stubbornly as his anxious eyes hastily scanned the area.

Smoldering rubble and charcoal-blackened objects were the first things that he sighted. Small flames licked at unidentifiable items, sluggishly burning them down into melted puddles. Broken pieces of the formerly upright building were scattered all over the ground, shards of cinder blowing away from their original spot by aid of the breeze.

_…No…_ he thought gruffly as he failed to glimpse what he had been anticipating to find. _Where is she…?_

A feeling of panic flooded inside him as he looked around again, wincing as the injuries he had endured started to call attention to him. He let out a quiet groan under his breath, trying to fight down the dark possibilities that were seeping into his mind, making him cringe at the thoughts. Blinking back tears that had begun to form in his eyes, the forlorn young man opened his mouth to scream the name of his beloved, anguish clearly in his mood as he interrupted the tranquility of the quiet atmosphere.

****

Chapter 1

A New Beginning

_I-it's cold here…_ _Just how long are we staying in this place anyway? I've never been away from home more than a few weeks; this is all pretty much new to me…_

Scuffling noises cut through the chain of thoughts as rushing forms brushed by, paying no heed to the other occupants. Grimacing inwardly, the figure was pushed along with the current of the crowd, looking around in bewilderment as the rest of the group quickly went out of sight.

_Oh no… Where did they go?_

The musky air of the inside environment felt albeit suffocating to the searcher as nervous chocolate brown eyes glanced around, trying to find the other compatriots. Numerous passengers walked across the large room, proceeding over to the escalators, but none of them looked like her accomplices. Groaning silently, she cursed under her breath and went to stand by a large white pillar, hoping to catch sight of the others soon.

All of a sudden, she heard a few names shouted into the air and recognized those as that of her friends. Ducking her head, she braved her way through the crowd again, stopping abruptly when she bumped into a figure.

"Oh! S-Sorry!" She apologized, looking up sheepishly.

"Riko!!" A voice exclaimed, sounding relieved.

Her long brown bangs fell over her forehead as she jerked back slightly in surprise; she pulled down the long cotton sleeves of her lavender sweater upon feeling a chill from the sudden breeze that swiveled by. The female youth's light blue jeans shifted when she moved foreword and enveloped the other person in a tight hug. One side of her face pressed against his left shoulder as the two embraced each other almost protectively.

Suddenly, out of the large crowd of people came a hand that clamped onto her forearm, startling the female youth. She snapped back slightly, unintentionally making her companion do the same as words reached her ears, "Hey! Finally found you, sis!"

"…? Sister!" The dark-haired protagonist whirled around and sighted her older sibling. "Where are the others?? This place is so huge; it must be really easy to get lost here!"

"Have you seen my brother anywhere?" The solo male of the trio inquired.

"BOO!!" a masculine voice boomed as the previous speaker felt two hands latch onto each of his shoulders.

"Augh!!!" he screeched in surprise, jumping a few inches off the ground.

The older woman of the group raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend as she lightly scolded, "Yugo! How mean of you, scaring your little brother half to death like that!"

"Yeah!" the other female agreed wholeheartedly, slugging him in the arm.

"Ow, okay, okay, sorry!!" Yugo Ohgami apologized with a grimace. The twenty-five year old ran a hand through his dark brown hair, brushing his bangs away from his forehead. Adjusting the small black duffel bag on his shoulder, he shot his girlfriend a withering look, a playful twinkle in his tan-colored eyes as he remarked, "Thanks for siccing your little sis on me, Alice!"

The blue-haired woman smiled sweetly, her short hot pink outfit shifting as she took her hand off of her younger sister and reached over to cup his chin. She tilted her head up a bit, discarding his four-inch advantage to her light-weighted five-six figure. Her voice was low as she said, "We're not at our home anymore… This place is new and foreign; I don't think that scaring the daylights out of any of us is a very good idea."

"She's right," his brother grumbled wearily, rolling his eyes. "I thought this place's version of the ZLF was already onto us and had spotted me or something…"

Immediately his face hardened, his leadership showing as he murmured, "Sorry about that… But you're right, we're going to have to be careful around here. Who knows when we'll be attacked… They can sense our zoanthrope blood after all."

"All the more better, just worry them more…" Alice Nonomura (Tsukagami) sighed in slight exasperation.

"They have to know the risks, Ally!" He insisted. "They got to know to look over their shoulders and watch out for sudden attacks and other things like that…"

"We are aware of the precautions," a new voice chimed in from behind the four.

"So you don't need to tell us; we went through the same thing with 'our' ZLF," came another.

"Master!" The younger female exclaimed upon recognizing. "Jane! You didn't get lost!"

"Heh, of course not, runt." A half-smirk touched the lips of the aforementioned person. "This is no different from when I first went to Japan from France, you know."

"Same here with my journey to Japan from China," her accomplice inputted. "Please, no need worry about us."

"Um, after we gather up everyone, we can go find our luggage…" Alice bit her lip as she glanced about the place warily, looking a little blank at the rushing inhabitants roaming the area. All of them turned to peer around the large airport, feeling albeit weary at the vast wide space that spread out in numerous square miles. White paint splashed the walls, seeming to be new coats, and signs directing people to different parts of the environment hung from small black hooks overhead.

"…That's easier said than done, Sister…" the female teenager with auburn hair scrunched up her nose as she commented.

"We're supposed to meet two people here that'll help by being our guides in the States, Uriko," her sibling informed her, directing that to the others as well in reassurance.

"Oh, okay… That's… _somewhat_ more of a relief, I guess." Still looking uncertain, Uriko Nonomura fixated her large brown eyes on her surroundings, feeling somewhat intimidated by everything.

"So…" her cyan-haired male companion raised an eyebrow. "Uh, where are they…?"

"Erm, damn… I'm not sure," Yugo replied.

As if on cue, he felt a light tap on his arm and he started, tensing up the others; quickly recovering, he turned to face a stranger with dark hair that mirrored his own. Black-colored slacks paired with a matching shirt served as the new figure's attire, going well together with his eyes. His bangs swayed slightly by way of the direction of the breeze, and the rest of his tress was slicked back, making him look proficient. The expression that he withheld made him appear culminated and vastly mature yet his features were that of a young adult. A welcoming smile formed over his lips as he inquired politely, "Do you and your friends need help? You all appear a bit lost."

The wolf zoanthrope let a sigh of relief escape the corners of his mouth and replied gratefully, "Yeah, this our first time here in the States! All of us are looking for these two people I spoke with over the phone who offered to be our guides here, since none of know our ways around."

"Oh? Do you know their names?"

"Uh, I wrote it down somewhere…" he began looking around in his pockets.

"…A Uranus and Strider Hiryu," Alice answered for her boyfriend, after looking up from reading a small piece of yellow binder paper in her hand.

Their enigmatic helper's expression turned solacing as he turned to look at the boxer. "You must be Yugo Ohgami and company."

"…?" The young leader's head snapped up to attention. "You're Strider Hiryu? I think that I spoke with your companion, Uranus, on the phone…"

"Yes, that's her," he confirmed. "She is in the luggage area, waiting for me to bring everyone to her so that you all can retrieve your suitcases and such."

"Thank God we found our guides, Long," the leopard zoanthrope mumbled to her fiancé. "I was about to smash Yugo for being so irresponsible."

"Heh, he might not have appreciated that, Jane." Long Shin commented, giving her an amused gaze. Abundant strands of extensive raven black hair swung around the middle of his lithe back, tied together into a tight ponytail with a dark gray band. His five-eleven figure sported a royal blue Oriental top with white trims and dusky pants covered his lower body. "You may want to save the pent-up tension for the people that we are going to deal with here."

Jane Gado dismissed the issue with a quick wave of her hand, her fingertips grazing against her rough blonde bangs. Only two inches diminutive to her fiancé, her mahogany outdoors attire appropriately portrayed her rabidity for active events such as fighting. "Alright, alright, but I'll do it because you asked so nicely." The couple exchanged an affectionate tantalizing look.

"Come with me," Strider Hiryu said to his six clients, motioning with his fingers as he turned and began heading in the opposite direction.

"You heard him everyone! Head out!" Yugo told his friends in a somewhat commanding tone and followed their guide.

Shaking her head even though a small smile formed over her lips, Alice trailed after her boyfriend, quickly beckoning to the others to go with her. The two remaining doublets glanced at each other, and with nonchalant shrugs, began pushing their way through the crowds. Lengthy periods of walking and rooms filled with people passed by as they all continued pursuing, until reaching a place that had baggage and suitcases sliding out of machines.

"Um… this is where we get our belongings?" Uriko inquired to no one in particular while her eyes scanned the new area.

"Yes," Strider answered with a quiet laugh. "Uranus said that she would stand next to where the luggage from your flight will be-oh, there she is!"

The group strode over a few years and watched as their escort met up with a young woman stationed next to one of the motional devices that sent valises to their owners. Remarkable light aqua hair outlined the upper portion of a lank figure that formed into a shapely attractive waist. Her spaghetti-strapped dress touched the tips of her knees, leaving a set of dainty legs exposed to the outer world. Luminous brown eyes settled upon the visitors and luscious light red lips curved into an enticing smile in heralding.

After quietly conversing with her for a few moments, Strider turned back to the others. "These are our international guests. Everyone, this is Uranus."

"Mr. Yugo Ohgami?" The female postulated, sounding slightly uncertain as she shook hands with the wolf zoanthrope.

Nodding, he gave her a small grin and replied, "Hey that's right. Nice to meet you. And these are my friends and girlfriend-"

"I'm Alice Nonomura," the dark-haired nurse informed brightly.

The blonde woman nodded her greeting. "Jane Gado."

"Hello, my name is Long Shin," the Kenpo master said. 

"Hi, I'm Uriko Nonomura," his disciple spoke up. "Alice is my sister!"

Uranus Hiryu smiled at them. "It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, all of you." Adverting her eyes, she noticed the young ninja, who was standing next to his fiancée, looking at his surroundings. "…Oh, who might you be?"

Yugo's grin turned wry. "That's my little brother, Kenji. Hey Kenji! Wake up!"

Blinking rapidly at the sudden interruption, his cyan-colored bangs brushed against his eyelashes as Kenji Ohgami spun his head around and snapped to attention. Standing at five-feet and eight inches, his muscular frame was clothed by a dark teal polo shirt and navy blue denim jeans. Catching the curious looks on the others' expressions, he flushed and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude; I was just looking around is all-…"

"No problem." She assured him with a warm twinkle sparkling in her eyes. "This is your first time here, so feel free to explore. Don't want to get lost in big cities, especially not in such an immense state like California."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks for understanding, and sorry again…"

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Uranus winked at him. "I was also like that myself when I first came here to the United States, curious to explore, yet I felt nervous about doing so."

"Hey, there's my suitcase!" Uriko suddenly piped up. She darted over to her luggage and snatched it up by the tan handle, then motioned her compatriots to do the same.

As soon as they all had reclaimed their belongings, Strider plucked two sets of key chains out of his breast pocket and handed one to Uranus. She nodded in reply, and then when she spotted questioning expression on the others' faces, she explained, "Strider and I will be driving everyone to the apartment complex. He's taking a van that can seat up to six people, including the driver, so I'm taking at least one of you with me in the Corvette."

"I call van!" Yugo immediately said.

His younger brother shot him a weary look. "Um, I guess I'll go in the van also, if no one minds."

"I'm with Yugo," Alice voiced, glancing at the tiger and leopard zoanthropes to silently ask if it was all right; they nodded their agreement.

_I'm going with my fiancé, of course…_ the Kenpo student thought to herself decisively, smiling at the blonde woman, who gave her a small grin as consent, speaking for both her and Long. The brown-haired youth mouthed a "Thank you" to the couple.

"Alright, so that means Long and I will be consorting you, Ms. Hiryu," Jane said, grimacing inwardly at her usage of formality. _Hm, Long's courtesy must be rubbing off on me._

"Just Uranus is fine," the verdant-haired female assured her with a diminutive smile.

"Well, should we get going then?" Strider suggested to the group.

Receiving his friends' assent, Yugo represented the others when he said, "Yeah, we're ready to leave anytime!"

The two drivers glanced and each other. "Okay, come on then!" Uranus hyped, sounding albeit puerile. "Corvette riders follow me, and van riders go with Strider!" With that, she started off to the left, and disappeared into the crowd, while her accomplice went in the opposite direction. The group of six remained behind momentarily.

"Well… see the rest of you at the complex, 'kay?" Yugo gave a half-shrug.

"Alright, take care of yourselves," Long said to the others as he smiled at them, then took a hold of his fiancée's hand and trailed after the dark-haired woman.

"See you there!" His martial arts student called, grinning when she felt Kenji slip an arm around her waist and lead her toward where their older siblings had gone.

Waiting for her passengers at the parking lot, the female guide unlocked the driver's door and peered inside, her attention furtively going to a small black pager clipped onto her key chain. Smiling triumphantly, she pressed a tiny red button, and took off the electronic device to slip into her car compartment.

*****

The shrill beeping reached the quiescent figure's eyes, snapping them out of the present trance-like state, the ringing bringing irritation. Raising a hand to brush her midnight black bangs away from her forehead, the female scowled under her breath as she agitatedly searched for the source of the noise. When she found it and stopped the beeping sound, the recognition hit her then, and a malicious smile formed over her lips. Resentment filled her indigo-colored eyes, yet sharing the space with the wicked promise of revenge for something that she was deprived of.

"Time to meet your end, fools…" she murmured lowly, her threat traveling throughout the chilly emptiness of the room.

****

End of Chapter 1


	2. Familiarizing With New Territory

Bloody Roar III: Deception Strikes From Within ****

Bloody Roar III: Deception Strikes From Within

By Tiger5913

Sequel to Bloody Roar III: Reunited by Chance, a Reflection of the Past

Chapter 2

****

Familiarizing With New Territory

"Beep, beep!"

The noise sounding as if it were right next to her ear, Uriko couldn't help cringing as the honking continued to blare about the area. Planted firmly in her seat within the six-passenger vehicle, she shifted a bit uncomfortably at the various intonations that rung in her auricles, "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to choose the window seat…"

"Everything is so loud here," her older sister commented to Strider, who was driving the dark blue van. "I mean, no offense or anything…"

"It's alright," he replied good-naturedly. "That's Los Angeles for you: noise, excitement, life…" His voice grew a little lower. "…And sometimes trouble associates too, of course…"

"We'll take care of that." The wolf zoanthrope spoke up. "All of us handled Tylon and the Zoanthrope Liberation Front back in Japan with no problem; the issues here will be a cinch!"

Sitting next to his fiancée, Kenji let out a small sigh of resignation at his sibling's confident remarks. He turned to glance at the Kenpo student, chuckling softly when he saw her crossing her eyes at Yugo's back, who was aside their driver up in the front passenger seat. The cyan-haired nurse shot a bemused look to her younger sister, but still allowed a bantam smile to make its way over her lips.

Peering out the window, the feline zoanthrope took note of the bright flashing lights that came from various signs plastered all over the place, she squinted slightly at the foreign outlook. Casual restaurants and small shops aligned most of the streets, while every couple others supported more ornate diners and sophisticated department stores. It seemed as if the city was always bathed in light, the electricity never to be fazed or in danger of outages. Even though it was presently nighttime, civilians still bustled about the sidewalks; their ever-lasting energy portrayed by the way that they darted in and out of the numerous attractions.

One place caught her eye as the van slowed to a stop before a traffic light, neon green letters were the first thing that enticed her attention. A couple of people that appeared to be security figures stood outside a set of maroon shaded double doors that lead into a mediocre-sized ebony black building. "Angel's Hell" titled it, and the seventeen-year-old female wrinkled her nose in curiosity after reading the epithet.

"Hey Strider…" she started to say, gaze still trained on the structure even as the light color changed from red to green and they began to drive away.

His pair of cinnamon-colored eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. "Yes?"

"What is…'Angel's Hell'? We just passed by it a few seconds ago…"

A hint of a smile played about his lips at her question. "Rest assured, it's not as bad as it might sound. Angel's Hell is just an adult club, where people go to hang out with their friends, perhaps dance concurrently for a bit, and the like."

"Hmm, sounds like the Teen Zone back at home," Kenji mused with a wry grin. "Only without the minor restriction. So, how old do you have to be at least, to go in that club?"

"Eighteen." Strider informed him. "And if you should want to buy liquor, you must be twenty-one or older."

"Oh, you've been in there before?" The cat zoanthrope inquired.

"Yeah, Uranus and I have both gone to Angel's Hell, anytime that we weren't busy fending off… recreants, we go there and meet with our well-known acquaintances to relax, and just being able to repose together is good enough for her and I."

"'Together'…" Uriko murmured quietly to her fiancé. "And they have the same last name too…"

"Those two are probably married," he agreed, knowing what she was trying to imply.

"Um, sorry to pester you again Strider, but if you don't mind my asking…" the auburn-haired teenager started to ask albeit timidly.

"You're not bothering me at all; don't worry, Uriko. Go ahead." He encouraged her persuasively.

"…How old are you and Uranus?"

"We're both nineteen." The bronze-haired young man answered with a comforting smile. "What about you and… Kenny?"

_…Damn freshman year memories…_ The ninja thought with an inward disapproving grimace. "…It's Kenji," he corrected patiently. "…And Uriko and I are seventeen."

Strider looked rather surprised. "Only seventeen?" His next comment was directed to the Kenpo student; "Are you on the brink of turning eighteen, Uriko? You seem older than seventeen…"

"Oh, nah," she shook her head, flushing slightly at his compliment.

"Mature, and modest too," he smiled at her with his eyes.

_Well, isn't he acting…friendly…_ Kenji fought back the urge to scowl. _Why aren't my brother and Alice saying any-_ He turned to look at the older couple and discovered that they were in a hushed conversation, Yugo having his upper body turned around to face his girlfriend sitting in the seat behind; she had leaned foreword to meet him halfway. _-thing…_ he finished, swearing soundlessly under his breath. By instinct, he slunk an arm around Uriko's slender waist, hugging her figure to his side almost protectively, letting out a sanguine sigh when she gently laid her head onto his shoulder and snuggled more closely to him.

_I've got enough crap to worry about._ His face twisted into an impassive mask. _Have to deal with this guy now, in addition to the unresolved issues that I still have with Unc-Long._

*****

****

One week prior…

Beads of wet water drops flew wildly as he shook out his hair underneath the dry covering of the white cotton. Stepping out of the steam-filled bathroom, he proceeded across the hallway and strolled into his room. His forest-green sweatshirt had darkened spots upon certain areas dampened by the moisture in his body leftover from the shower beforehand. The black windbreakers that covered his waist down to ankle level provided a flimsy barrier to the chill of the weather.

_It's almost six…_ the mole zoanthrope discovered with a quick glance at the digital clock that sat on his nightstand. _I'll go call Riko and see if she's ready to go._ He decided silently as he reached over to the top of his dresser and picked up the phone receiver, bringing to his ear before dialing.

"You sure that you want to go with us…?" a masculine-sounding person questioned.

_Whoops,_ Kenji realized that his elder sibling already had the line occupied. He was about to set the receiver back down into the cradle, when he suddenly heard a familiar voice replying to Yugo, "…I could keep a watchful eye over my-your brother and my disciple, should you and Alice be engrossed in your affairs."

_…Huh? Watch over Riko and I?_ The blue-haired teenager quirked an eyebrow in bemusement. _We're seventeen years old, almost adults, and perfectly capable of caring for ourselves-_

The wolf zoanthrope laughed just then. "Heh, so you want to come with the three of us to America, not to vacation, but to baby-sit Kenji and Uriko?"

_What? 'Baby-sit'?!_

"Not just I alone; Jane would like to accompany me."

"Well, okay, if you insist on going, I guess we can't refuse, right? Kidding, kidding… But you better order airline tickets for both you and Jane soon. There's only a couple days left before we leave, Long."

Anger replaced his previous emotion as the male youth considered slamming the phone down, but in the end, set it back gently. Still, he could feel a growl rumbling deep in his throat as he thought scornfully, _Why the **hell** do people feel the need to protect me?! My fiancée's I welcome, my brother's I understand, but then came Alan afterwards, and now Long wants to also??_ The seventeen-year-old frowned and muttered lowly, "I-am-not-a-damn-child…"

*****

"And… we're here!"

Strider's announcement snapped the young ninja out of the memory that had previously scrolled through his mind. The van pulled to a stop before a set of black metal gates, and the four newbies strove to peer out as their driver lowered his window and entered a code into a small device outside. The tall bars creaked open, allowing the group access into a large complex that possessed multitudinous apartments.

Lights radiated onto them from the center of the courtyard, where a fountain sat, and the middle sprinkled misty water. A stone statue of an angel emitted the cool clear liquid, spraying small droplets out of the top of its hands, clasped together in a prayer that no one would ever hear. Uriko smiled joyously when she spied gorgeous flowers that were planted in the midst of the grassy lawns, all held up by sturdy stems. The colorful petals beckoned to her eyes, shimmering when the moonbeams flashed against their smooth surface.

By familiar instincts, she raised one of her hands and pressed it against the window, almost as if she was trying to brush her fingers against the dainty plants. The pane separated the blossoms from her touch, and her lips curled down a little in slight displeasure as the scenery grew smaller while the van drove further away. Sighing, she sat back into her seat, and smiled when she felt a hand close around hers understandingly: her fiancé's.

"Mmm, this place looks exquisite…" the blue-haired nurse breathed in wistfully. "…And we're _staying_ here?"

Strider grinned and said with a hint of pride in his voice, "Quite a few visitors enjoy staying here at the A.T. Complex."

"'A.T. Complex'?" Yugo repeated questioningly.

He nodded curtly his reply, and they all grew quiet, looking at their new surroundings in slight awe as their guide parked the vehicle in an empty space next to a medium-sized beige building a few meters away. Everyone immediately piled out and headed around to the back so they could get their belongings and slowly start to settle in. Just as Strider was slamming the back door shut, another car pulled up and smoothly slid into the space beside the van, its sleek red coating showing off young age and appearing modernistic. The driver's side opened, and out stepped the green-haired young woman, followed by the feline zoanthrope couple emerging from the rear seats.

"Since it's getting late, I think that I'll just let you all know where your rooms are, so that everyone can turn in." Uranus said decisively. "Is that alright?"

Receiving quick looks of agreement from the others, Yugo spoke for the group, "Yeah, to us, it feels like it's noontime, but we're gonna have to adjust our sleeping hours while we're staying here. So we'll go with what you suggest, and retire for today."

"Well," Strider clasped his hands together. "The eight of us will be sharing four rooms in two separate apartments, but they're right next to each other, so none of you will be that far away from the others, rest assured. Uranus and I will be fine with whatever rooming arrangements you all make, so we'll just wait and let everyone decide amongst yourselves."

"Okay, thanks." The wolf zoanthrope gave him a faint smile, and motioned for his friends to gather around him. "We'll try to get it done ASAP; come on everyone."

"No problem, take your time!" The female escort assured, and then when the guests had turned away, she gestured for her companion to go over to her and the two of them spoke privately.

"So… any preferences?" The assemblage's leader inquired. "First off, does anyone particularly want to share an apartment with them? I think that Alice and I should room with them, since they phoned me, and probably assume that we're the ones 'running this show'."

"That's okay with me, Sis," the Kenpo student informed. "Can I room with Kenji?"

"You don't want to be room with Jane, Uriko?" Her sibling raised an eyebrow while the dark-haired ninja felt his cheeks grow warm at her bold question.

"What? Oh, no, it's not that!" The teenager protested. "I just thought that she might want to be with Master Long, and I don't wanna intrude or anything."

"Hm, thanks runt," the leopard told her with a half-smirk. "Don't worry about her, Alice, I'll keep an eye out for your little sister and Kenji, although I'm sure they're responsible enough to be trusted."

_You might think that, but apparently, Long still thinks that I need to be baby-sat,_ Kenji thought a little bitterly, trying to keep his voice even and calm as he chimed in, "I have no problem being paired with Uriko; it works fine for me."

"Okay then!" The chestnut-haired boxer glanced at his compatriots. "It'll be me and Alice with Strider and Uranus, you with Uriko, brother, sharing with Long and Jane. Is that the final verdict?"

"Oh, what are you trying to sound like, a judge?" His girlfriend kidded with a twinkle in her ruby red irises. "Does that mean a career change for you?"

"Funny, Ally," he replied dryly, although he winked at her. "No complaints? Okay, I'll go tell 'em then."

"Does the master know that they've arrived?" Strider murmured in question to his partner in a hushed tone of voice.

"I beeped the pager," she answered. "So I'm pretty sure she would have received long ago-"

"Um, hey…" Yugo said quietly as he approached the duo. "We're done deciding."

Numerous yards from the large group, the curtain of a window on a second floor apartment was pushed aside as a pair of pupils gleamed with pleasure upon sighting the eight. Loose black bangs flew up into the air as a breath escaped the figure's pursed lips, and as the cat zoanthrope's large brown irises were scanning the area curiously, the watcher's eyes widened in surprise, and made their presence gone within seconds. Admiring the luxurious looks of the complex, Uriko let out a sigh of amazement and jolted a little when she felt two arms wrap around her waist.

Warm breath fanned against her neck as her fiancé commented, "This place is really nice, huh?"

"Yeah…" she agreed, smiling warmly. "Everything looks really nice. But… what's the rent cost for staying here?"

"Nothing." He informed her. "Yugo said that Strider and Uranus took care of it; we just paid for the plane tickets is all."

"…What exactly are we supposed to do here?" the female teenager asked. "Alice and your brother just told us something about terrorist acts occurring here in the States, I think?"

Kenji opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by his older sibling calling out, "We're gonna be brought to our rooms now! Everyone ready?"

After a chorus of "yes"es, the newcomers followed their escorts into the complex, where they all crossed a large open quad. In the middle of the space were thin black bars that served as the perimeter around a pool, enclosing into its own small secure area. The light from a crescent moon overhead gleamed off the surface of the crystal clear aquarium-colored water. The auburn-haired feline grinned joyously upon spotting the beautiful attraction, and nudged her fiancé gently. Following the direction of her gaze, he met her eyes when she turned her head to face him, and the couple exchanged a shy, but knowing look.

The duo leaders eased into a stop in front of a two-story building with a door on the first floor, and another one that was up a flight of steps. A balcony stuck out on the other side that looked over into the quad; a fresh lawn was around the stairs, and flowers were planted into various dirt patches. The place was nicely decorated, with the right color coordination, and all the trees, flowers, and grass seemed to be kept in consistently good condition.

"Well… which quartet would like to be on the second floor apartment?" the bronze-haired guide inquired of the guests.

"Me!" Uriko immediately exclaimed. "Erm, I mean, please? If that's okay with everybody?"

Her sister giggled at her enthusiasm. "Since you're so eager, I guess it'd be mean of us to say no, huh? Go ahead, I like being downstairs better anyway…"

"Okay then," Uranus offered a small smile, then handed the seventeen-year-old a ring that had two keys on it. "The one marked '62' corresponds to your apartment door upstairs, and number '61' is for the other door that leads into your sister's apartment down here."

"Thanks!" The Kenpo student said, then called out to the others, "Good-night!" With a quick wave, she bound up the stairs, her suitcase bouncing against her leg, and the dark-haired ninja smiled faintly at his friends before trailing right behind her.

When she ascended to the peak, the teenager walked down a short hallway, long strands of her hair flying into her face by the direction of the breeze, and soon reached a sky-blue door. Sticking the key into the lock, she twisted it in a half-circle, then pushed the tall wooden frame inwardly and stepped into the residence. Blinking at the darkness that her eyes met, she quickly ran an arm along the wall beside her and feeling her fingers graze against a little bump, she flicked on a switch, enveloping the room in light.

"Ooh…" a sigh of appreciation escaped her lips at the sight of the dwelling and her light chocolate brown eyes lit up delightfully. Twin black couches that each seated two rested across the room, leaning next to a large glass door, which led to the balcony outside. A relatively medium-sized rug was splayed onto the floor in between the sofas, the Oriental designs etched into it displaying colorful embroideries. The last items in there were a brown cabinet-type structure that had a television set and videocassette recorder sitting upon it.

Setting down her luggage momentarily, she slipped off her footwear and set the pair onto the top shelf of the shoe rack next to the door. Turning to glance at the other features, the young zoanthrope picked up her suitcase again and sighted a doorway that directed into a kitchen that had the usual necessities. A tall white refrigerator sat beside a small stove, and they were both diagonally located from a silver faucet attached to the neck of the sink, while a wide, long, oak brown table served as the dining place-mat.

"Seen everything yet?" A voice behind her questioned lightheartedly.

"Just the bedrooms and bathroom," she replied, knowing that it was Kenji. "And I'm gonna go take a look at them right now!"

Whirling around and heading in the opposite direction that she had been formerly facing, the auburn-haired woman went into another hallway to explore. Soft ash gray carpet that covered the entire apartment met the pliant fabric of her sock-padded feet as she ventured around. She peered briefly into the lavatory, ducking back out after glancing at the neatly aligned ivory-colored tiles, sink, toilet, and closed shower stall.

_Now for the rooms…_ Reaching for the knob of the door closest to her, Uriko stepped into one of the rooms and flicked on the light switch, then emitted a small sigh in exultation. Large blankets with roses and violet flowers spread over a bed that was in the middle of the room, and a nightstand was beside it. Two bureaus were next to each other, waiting for its inhabitants to store clothing into the drawers; the blank walls were the color of fresh icy snow. A window was located a few yards away from the bed, the pane closed and sealed shut, while a light lamp stood nearby.

Putting her suitcase on the floor next to the bed, she thought decisively, _I want this to be mine and Kenji's room… Hope that Master Long and Jane will be okay with it…_

"Made a decision already, Riko?" came the low chuckle from her fiancé.

"Yup," the young woman said, turning around and smiling at him. "Where are Master Long and Jane?"

"Still downstairs," her companion replied. "I think they're talking to the others and trying to find out more information about our mission here."

"I didn't sleep on the plane at all…" she sighed. "I'm beat. Mind if I turn in?"

"You're gonna unpack tomorrow?"

"Yeah…" even as she was just saying that, the cat zoanthrope took her socks off, and set them atop her satchel.

Kenji put his baggage next to hers, but still donned shoes. "I'm going to stay up a little bit, and get some information from our friends, okay?"

"Okay…" with that soft sigh, she lied onto the bed, on top of the sheets, and drowsily snuggled into a sleeping position.

Smiling, he proceeded over to her and gently brushed his lips against hers, murmuring quietly against her mouth, "Sweet dreams… I'll get you tucked in when I come back later…"

After that, he turned off the light, and closed the door with a silent click behind him as he left the room.

****

End of Chapter 2


	3. Starting The Task On Hand

Bloody Roar III: Deception Strikes From Within ****

Bloody Roar III: Deception Strikes From Within

By Tiger5913

Sequel to Bloody Roar III: Reunited by Chance, a Reflection of the Past

Chapter 3

Starting The Task On Hand

"Her name's Alica."

Her head ducked down, the Kenpo student had just scooped a forkful of scrambled eggs into her mouth when her fiancé said that. A few strands of her long brown bangs fluttered down, grazing against her plate, and she quickly used her free hand to tuck them behind her earlobe. Even with all the talking of the other people around the couple in the small diner, she still managed to hear him. The morning after the zoanthropes had arrived in the USA; she awoke to find out that everyone had gone their separate ways to look for their purpose. She and Kenji had their own territory to cover, but they both agreed to eat before exploring, and found a place that served breakfast edibles.

Glancing up to meet his eyes, she chewed and swallowed her food before asking, "Alica? And who's that?"

A wry smile played about his lips as he answered, "'That' Alica is the reason why we're here in the States, Riko."

Lifting her glass of orange juice to her mouth and taking a sip, she questioned, "What'd she do here?"

At that moment he started to consume the contents that were on his own platter: poached eggs and two pancakes coupled with a side order of hash browns; his meal almost mirrored hers. A few seconds later, her companion paused to reply, "According to Strider and Uranus, this Alica person is the one that's been unleashing a bunch of apostate zoanthropes to go out and terrorize normal human bystanders. She thinks that humans shouldn't be living in the same area as 'her kind', and that they should instead serve zoanthropes."

Uriko wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Great, another version of the Zoanthrope Liberation Front, in other words…"

"At least it's not a clone in charge of the group this time…" he kidded weakly with a shrug.

"That's cute, Kenji." She remarked with a hint of sarcasm as he began eating again. "So we were brought here to take care of 'em, right? Exactly what are we supposed to do?"

"Well, today, it's just to look around, explore, kinda get to know this place, and the people," the dark-haired ninja informed her. "And it figures that we've got most of the teenage hangouts to check."

"…The terrorists are teenagers too…?" Somehow, the thought of clan her own age participating in the cause of such significant problems hadn't occurred to her.

His grimace told her that he'd felt the same way. "Yeah… You know, it's people like them that give us teenagers in general a bad name, heh…"

"That's real thoughtful of them," she muttered dryly. "I mean, normal teens only have to worry about drugs and stuff like that, but zoanthrope youths have reputations to maintain. After all, when was the last time you saw anyone trembling in fear of death from hearing about adolescents taking drugs? You'd definitely get that reaction from the same person if you told him or her about teens that have the power to morph into animals and hurt others…"

"I'm not a hundred percent sure about how the inhabitants here feel about zoanthropes," the seventeen-year-old male said, his voice growing quiet as he continued, "but I don't think they exactly trust them. And I guess we have Alica to thank for that, since she's been wrecking havoc or whatever to the people here in America."

"Oh well, let's just try to do what we can. I mean, we took care of the ZLF, right? So this isn't too different from that. …At least, I hope not," his fiancée sighed as she turned her attention back to her plate.

"I don't know if it's gonna be that easy though," he commented slowly. "We knew our way around back at home, but we could easily get lost here, since this place is still new and kinda foreign to us."

"Okay, maybe so, but there's hope for everything to work out!" She chimed enthusiastically after finishing the last remains of her breakfast. "Just… promise that you won't leave me behind whatever places we go to, okay Kenji? I'd get really nervous if I were lost here…"

He gave her a half-smirk. "'Course not; if I did, Alice would kill me-"

"Hey!"

"-And also because I just wouldn't do that to you," Kenji quickly finished with an assuring smile. "If I ever did something _that_ stupid, Alice wouldn't have to kill me 'cause I'd do it myself first."

The feline zoanthrope frowned slightly. "No death jokes… One of these days, if you were serious, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference and who knows what'd happen then?"

His expression turned somber. "I wasn't joking, Uriko."

She squirmed a little. "Um, I-"

"Uh, excuse me," a voice from beside them spoke up all of a sudden.

The couple adverted their gazes to the newcomer; a young male appearing to be around their age was standing by their table. His lengthy blond hair was tied back in a short ponytail, hanging over his dark blue T-shirt and navy-colored jeans, the attire making his hazel-green eyes stand out and seem lively. A smile spreading over his tanned lips, he inquired in a pleasant-sounding tone, "Are you part of the Yugo Ohgami company from Japan?"

_Who's this guy?_ The mole zoanthrope wondered silently, then answered for both him and his compatriot, "Yeah, we just flew in last night… …Did Strider or Uranus send you here to us or something?"

"Uh huh, there's some business regarding you that we need to clear up," the nameless individual told them. "Are the two of you free right now?"

Kenji glanced at his fiancée for her input and she nodded, pointing to her empty plate. "I'm about done too, so… yeah, I guess you can talk to us now."

His face brightened. "Great, then come with me please."

"But wait, we need to pay for our meal-"

The man held his hand up. "Already taken care of," he gestured his head toward the counter, where a young red-haired woman was handing the cashier money.

"Oh… uh, thank you…" the cyan-haired teenager felt a bit mystified at the stranger's kindness.

"You're welcome; don't worry about it," their new companion voiced. "Now, let's get going…"

With that said, he turned and began heading out through the back door of the restaurant, and then the woman followed him a few seconds afterwards. The couple exchanged a curious look, but both shrugged and followed the mysterious duo together.

*****

"But Ally, you said that you'd only take fifteen minutes to look around…"

"I know I did, Yugo, but that was before I knew there were so many stores here!" The blue-haired nurse gazed at her boyfriend with adoration shining in her large red pupils. " I want to buy some souvenirs for Danielle, Aunt Mitsuko, and the others… Come on, please?" 

"Damn it, that's not fair, you know that's my weakness," Yugo grimaced a bit as he felt his resistance dissolving; she already had him carrying two bags of purchases from her earlier shopping. "…Okay, okay, you win. But ten more minutes is all I can stand, I'm telling you, before I bail and run away from this street… I don't really like browsing through stories unless I really, _really_ have to get something."

"Well, you buy clothes often for you and Kenji, don't you?" She asked while the couple started strolling down the sidewalk again, and she peered into the windows of the shops.

"Yeah, but remember how I always asked you to go shopping with me after you moved in with us, Ally? And also whenever Kenji needed new clothes, I told him to ask you to take him, but he was a little embarrassed with that situation so that's when he learned how to buy them himself."

"Yugo!" She exclaimed, aghast, stopping to face her companion. "That's such a rotten trick…"

He scratched his head sheepishly. "Uh, well, he had to learn somehow… Hey, maybe I should've told him to ask Uriko for shopping duty instead-ow! Geez, what'd you hit me for?"

The female zoanthrope smiled sweetly as she watched him set down one of the bags to rub his arm with his now-free palm. "It wouldn't have helped, because my sister doesn't like shopping. And besides, you deserved that; it's on the account of what you did to your poor brother, hehe!" She giggled.

Her beau rolled his eyes. "Alright, we're even now then."

"Sure-oh! Oh, look at that store over there, Yugo! Isn't that the cutest place you've ever seen??" Her head tilted to gaze at a shop further down the street, Alice darted off toward it, while the brown-haired boxer sighed and followed her, thinking to himself, _Here we go…_

She came to a stop before a large window and gazed at the accessories aligned inside, letting out a soft sigh as she did. The male zoanthrope groaned inwardly at the delicate crystalline figurines that were sitting atop a red-clothed platform. Small rays of sunlight reflected off their glimmering bodies and it almost stung his light cinnamon pupils to look at them. He glanced to his side and found his girlfriend admiring a little crystal bunny rabbit that was posed next to, strangely, a slightly larger wolf chassis. The small mammal appeared to be sniffing its companion, who was looking about elsewhere curiously.

A caption under the artwork read, "Friends, Not Predator and Prey."

"Huh, cute, I guess…" he murmured. _I should get it for Ally._

"Kinda reminds me of us," she said, turning to look at him with a bright smile.

He gave her a half-smirk. "Yeah, it does…"

The dark-haired woman peered at the single bag that was hanging off his elbow, a frown etching her eyebrows. "…Oh! Yugo, you left one of the bags behind on the sidewalk!"

_…Huh?_ He turned around and discovered that she was right. _…Damn._ "Sorry Ally," he told her sheepishly, then quickly jogged over to pick it up. Something furry brushed against his thumb as his fingers closed around the handle, and he raised an eyebrow. Spying an ashen tail poking out of a corner, the young boxer took a hold of it and lifted the object up into his view.

It turned out to a stuffed wolf animal, _Hmm? I don't remember Ally buying any stuffed animals… _A small grin made its way over his expression when he saw it, and he was about to call out to her in question about it, but he suddenly went speechless.

The toy was about the size of his palm, and its dark coarse gray fur felt soft at contacting the rough skin of his hand. White fleece made its presence as the wolf's oval-shaped belly, and the four little paws were smaller than Yugo's fingers. It would have been a perfect gift for a young child… except the fact that the poor animal's head was missing from its shoulders.

*****

"…Jane, do you have the feeling that we are being somehow monitored?"

Casting her fiancé a slightly bewildered gaze, the leopard zoanthrope inquired, "What do you mean, Long? Something wrong?"

The Kenpo master shook his head wearily. "I just have the strangest feeling that we are being followed, watched, or in some other situation of the sort…"

Her cool blue eyes narrowing, she paused from their previous walking state, and focused on sensing beings of her own kind in the area. Her companion did the same, bafflement reflecting in his dark brown pupils that were mirrored behind his glasses. The blonde woman scanned their surroundings, her irises flickering upon the bystanders strolling around the various pathways of the park.

Couples, like her and Long, appeared normal as they were striding hand-in-hand, smiling at each other as they conversed. A few kids ran about the place, squealing and laughing, emitting their fun as they zoomed past one another. A little girl sat atop the shoulders of a man that was presumably her father, and was pointing at the bed of flowers in the center of the square. Bells chimed as an ice-cream saleswoman rolled her cart into the section; children immediately ran over to her upon sight.

After remaining stationary for a few moments, Jane shook her head and said, "I don't sense anything irregular."

"Neither do I…" the tiger zoanthrope remarked, his expression turning strange. "Hmm, it must be the foreign feeling of this new place. There is nothing to worry about then, I suppose."

"Yeah, guess not," But inwardly, she didn't feel so sure. Whenever a sense or a feeling was bestowed upon zoanthropes, they were usually right, and should take everything seriously. Yet then again, if her fiancé believed the cause was merely change of environment and wanted to dismiss the issue, she wouldn't press it any further. "Let's get going."

Nodding at her, he took her hand and the couple started walking down their pathway again, but the feeling remained dormant inside him.

*****

The woman politely held the door open for the young couple and they both smiled in thanks to her, then trailed after the other person outside of the restaurant.

"So… what's this business that you need to settle with us?" Kenji questioned when the male stranger had come to a stop in the middle of an area surrounded by a few fir trees.

"Did we forget to do something yesterday after we arrived here?" His compatriot chimed in, her tone sounding thoroughly curious.

"Well…" the voice came from the female behind them; they turned to face her. "In a way, yes…"

"Really?" The dark-haired ninja frowned. _What did we forget to do?_ "I'm sorry about that then. What is it?"

A wide grin spread over her glistening red lips. "Ask my partner Bruce, he's more in charge of this than I am."

"…Oh, okay," he shrugged and proceeded to revert his attention back to the other individual.

As the seventeen-year-old was turning in his direction, he felt a sharp cuff strike the back of his neck, and he stumbled to his knees. Feeling albeit stunned, he grimaced and shook the effect off, then glanced up, "What the hell happened??"

Standing over him, looming like a tall tower was the man whom had been referred to as Bruce, and he was grinning saucily down at the mole zoanthrope. His hand was still raised, reasonably from just executing the blow, and he let out a snarl as he said, "Masters' order to dispose of you, scum!"

__

Huh? Scum?? Uriko started to step toward her fiancé, but was all of a sudden restrained when the woman grabbed her arms from behind and held them in a tight lock. "And where do you think _you're_ going, sweetie?" She taunted.

His alerts instantly igniting, Kenji stood up and glared at Bruce evenly, dark suspicion hanging in his light brown eyes. "Who sent you?!"

He sneered at him. "Take a wild guess."

"Let go of me!" Irritated by her imprisonment, the Kenpo student made a nasty face and clutched the arms of her captor as well as she could. Gritting her teeth in determination, she flipped foreword awkwardly, but managed to catch the woman off guard and threw her to the ground. Landing a bit shakily, the teenager backed away from her and stepped closer to her significant other.

"Charlene!!" The man exclaimed, then growled at the ninja, "How dare your stupid damn deadbeat girlfriend do that to her!"

The mole zoanthrope got a dangerous glint in his irises. "Don't call her that, you nerveless bastard!"

"I will call her whatever I wish, child!"

_Child, huh? I'll show you child!_ His expression set in an angry growl; he sprinted foreword, jumped into the air, and kicked his opponent in the chest while letting out a loud, "Kee-yah!"

"Kenji!" His fiancée gasped, but then felt her feet being raised up into the air and suddenly she found herself descending to the grassy ground. Her hands quickly shot foreword and she barely managed to stop her face from crashing to the floor, yet the rest of her body slammed down aimlessly. Swallowing a grimaced cry, the young woman kicked furiously at the person holding her ankles and got away triumphantly after hearing an "Ow!"

"You little brat!" The female that was called Charlene shouted. "I paid close to forty dollars for this manicure!"

The Kenpo student couldn't help smirking. "Then next time, be more careful choosing when you're going to fight!"

"Oh, you are _so_ going to pay for that!" Springing up into a standing position, her foe spun around in a full circle with her leg outstretched, delivering a roundhouse kick to Uriko's side.

"Ugh!" The seventeen-year-old clutched the pained spot with her hands, but refused to falter. "Okay, if a fight's what you want, then that's what you're gonna get!"

Ignoring her injury, she raised her clenched fists and glowered at the woman through narrowed eyes, readying herself to battle. _Looks like our mission has just begun… _

"Geez, we didn't even get any time to look around first…" she muttered agitatedly as she ducked a punch from her opponent. "I'm gonna have to give Alica something special for her stupid flunkies."

****

End Of Chapter 3


	4. The First Fight For Nobility

Bloody Roar III: Deception Strikes From Within ****

Bloody Roar III: Deception Strikes From Within

By Tiger5913

Sequel to Bloody Roar III: Reunited by Chance, a Reflection of the Past

Chapter 4

The First Fight For Nobility

"Oof!" the man grunted as his back slammed into the hard trunk of a tree and he slid down to the ground.

Standing over him, the dark-haired ninja glared at him, his eyes narrowing as he said coolly, "No one insults her and gets away with it."

A chilling smirk spread over his foe's lips. "That's what you think."

Without warning, he grabbed a fistful of dirt from the flowerbed nearby him and flung it at the teenager. The dust particles entered into his irises and he let out a loud yelp, stumbling back as he held his arms up before his face in weak defense. Taking the opportunity, the older male smirked and arose immediately, then stepped over to his opponent and swept the floor with his leg, knocking Kenji in the back of his knees. He fell with a strangled cry, cursing out loud and rolling away as fast as he could to avoid further penalty.

"Ohh, what's the matter? Run out of tough talk?" came the saucy taunt. "Guess your little wench isn't going to have a big strong guy to protect her, eh?"

His head shot up, his disability forgotten. _…What did he just call Uriko?!_ Although his vision was blurry and fuzzy, he forced his eyes open and trained his sight on the man, growling lowly. _He can insult me, I don't care, but if he starts dissing Uriko, he's dead meat._

Springing up from his feet, he pounced on the other fighter, tackling him forcefully and smirking inwardly when he heard a yell of surprise mingled with pain. The mole zoanthrope dug his elbow into the individual's throat, pressing down hard, paying no heed even when he started to emit choking sounds. Wincing, Bruno quickly shot his knees foreword and kicked the seventeen-year-old in the chest, pushing him off. Arising, he rubbed his neck vigorously while watching his opponent clutch his injury with a hand, grimacing.

_That little brat! _He thought, scowling. _Grrrr, I'll be glad to dispose of the worm!_

A couple yards away, his fiancée was holding her ground, ducking at waist-level and shoved both of her palms at the other woman. She lurched a little, but recovered and backhanded the feline zoanthrope across her cheek, one of her nails scratching a mark into her skin. Letting out a shriek, Uriko cupped the bleeding scar with her hand, her face scrunching up into a look of distaste.

"You just wanna make everyone look as unattractive like you, huh?!" she retorted, rearing her leg and launching it foreword to catch her right under the chin.

Charlene's head snapped back and she screeched out her anger, then grabbed a tight hold of the youth's ankle. Yanking in an upward motion, she made the Kenpo student lose her balance, and watched with wicked glee as she fell hard. Leaning over, she snatched the bunch of her long auburn hair that was tied together in a braid, and pulled on the silky lock. Tears filled the teenager's eyes, but she refused to give her foe any satisfaction and struck with her foot to trip her.

Successful, the woman joined her on the ground, and she punched her square in the jaw, rotating away before a counterattack could occur. Flipping up into a standing position, the cat zoanthrope raised her fists and bent her knees slightly, waiting for her opposition to stand as well. Within minutes, the two were trading and defending against each other's blows, none of the hits that landed wavering either of them.

Nearby, the ninja felt his vision become more clear as a breeze swept by and blew away some of the dirt. Smiling thankfully, he darted at the other man and jumped into the air, briefly planting his feet on his shoulders before bouncing off. Twisting sideways, the soles of his sneakers met a tree trunk, then he retracted and flew in a half-circle, kicking Bruno in the back of his head, landing safely afterwards. Standing as soon as he could, the male antagonist sprang up and sought to charge at the teenager; Kenji remained immobile, closing his eyes as she held up two fingers.

Briefly waving them around, he pointed foreword while a trail of fire emitted from the tips, scorching their way through the air toward their target. Caught off-guard by the tech, the foe cried out in surprise when the flames caught his clothes and flared while they attacked him aimlessly. He immediately dropped to the floor, rolling around in the grass, trying to get rid of the blaze while the dark-haired zoanthrope couldn't help the small smirk that creeped onto his face.

"Grggh!" His contender hollered. "How the hell did you do that?!"

The dark-haired youth raised an eyebrow and replied matter-of-factly, "All zoanthropes have an elemental tech. I'm waiting to see yours."

"?! Z-zoanthrope??"

"What??" Charlene cried, pausing to look at her partner. "What about those freaks?? Do you see one somewhere?!"

"Yeah, there's one right **here**!!" Her female opponent shouted, narrowing her eyes distastefully at the "freak" remark.

Both of the foes jolted, seeming distressed upon finding out the information. Bruno screeched, "We weren't notified that they were zoanthropes!!"

His accomplice agreed, "We aren't getting paid enough to risk our lives like this! Let's get the hell out of here!!"

Receiving a nod from him, the two turned and darted off hurriedly, front-flipping over the brick wall enclosing the area and disappearing from sight. Remaining in the section, Uriko blinked in confusion, a bit taken back from the sudden change in behavior that was invoked by the attackers. She shot her fiancé a look, noticing that his expression resembled hers, baffled yet curious about the events that had just occurred. A split-second later, he recovered, reclaiming the fiery flame of life in his pupils, glaring at the spot where the other duo had ran away.

"…Cowards," he said lowly. "Nerve-less, whimpering, cowards."

Her face scrunched up. "Kenji, aren't you being a little mean-"

"Why do humans keep thinking that zoanthropes 'freaks'?" He inquired, his voice even, although she could detect anger dwelling beneath the surface. "Just because zoanthropes have a special ability, that has to isolate them from being with so-called 'normal' people."

"I-I don't know, they're just close-minded, I guess…" she grew quiet when she saw that his breathing became hoarse, and he was staring at the wall as if he could burn a hole through it. Clearly, he had been very effected by the insult that the couple and the rest of the zoanthrope race was labeled with, she analyzed, but… she wasn't sure why he was reacting this way. "…Are you okay…?"

Turning his head toward her direction, the smile he gave her was stiff and appeared albeit forced. "Yeah. I was… just a little annoyed at hearing that diss. It's not the first time for any of us, after all."

"I… know what you mean…" Her gaze lowered to the ground as a chilled feeling trickled into her mind, distantly reminding her of the times she had hidden her zoanthrope powers from others in her childhood upon her mother's request. Anytime that her human so-called friends had spoken of her kind, they had a distinct disapproved and shunning attitude in their tones. All throughout her scholar years, she never mentioned her abilities to anyone outside of her small circle of very close friends, like her sister and the rest of her allies. But sometimes, when she thought of how she couldn't confide in her "normal" friends, a forlorn sense overtook her, making her feel melancholy.

"…Let's go search our section now," Kenji suddenly spoke up, startling the Kenpo student out of her chain of thoughts. "We have to meet our friends at nightfall, and tell them what happened, what we found out."

"O-oh… okay." She replied. "I… am gonna have to follow your lead, since you seem to have more of an idea of what to do…"

"You'll get the hang of it soon," he assured her, remnants of his former warmth returning to inhibit his mood.

"Hope so," the teenager said with a wry smile.

"We should get the hell out of here," her compatriot suggested. "Just in case anyone saw the four of us leave the restaurant through the back way, and feel suspicious about it."

"Sure," she agreed.

Giving her a quick look at which she detected a hint of affection in, the dark-haired ninja went to the fall opposite the one that the troublemakers had gone over, and front-flipped over it. Quickly trailing after him, his fiancée cast a glance at her surroundings before copying his movement, shivering as she wondered how many more people would be sent after the couple.

*****

"…What has been done to this innocent toy is rather disturbing."

Peering at her companion delicately observing the stuffed wolf animal, Jane frowned. "Who the hell in their right mind would mangle a helpless child's plaything?"

The leader of their group remarked wearily, "I guess either someone who hates toys… or is trying to threaten me."

"You mean that Alica person?" The nurse inquired. "But… but only a psychotic person or someone with a mental problem would do such a mean thing like this!"

"Hate to break it to you Ally," her boyfriend had a weak smile plastered over his expression. "But this world _does_ have psychopaths and people with mental problems. Hey, take that freaky-haired, limp-wristed bastard back at home - there's no excuse for how **he** came into existence, eh?"

Seated on the living room couches of the apartment that he shared with his significant other and their guides, they all chuckled at that, but the Kenpo master briskly sobered. He adverted his attention to gazing at the scenery outside through the apartment's window, watching a small robin land on the balcony's railing. The bird hopped into the feeder that hung from the overhead ceiling, nipping at the tiny seeds and grains that sat dormant for the taking.

__

As much as Busuzima is detested by many, he was indeed brought into existence to play an important role; he mused silently to himself. _Though that role was to bring pain to others and should definitely not be a necessity…_

His attention went back to the robin while it remained perched on the edge of the structure, oblivious to its hazy, sunbathed position, a tan blur suddenly zipped through the air and claimed the creature of flight. Long grimaced as the cat pawed at the small animal that it had pounced upon and he looked away before shed blood would be visible. But he got a chilled feeling when realizing how the situation he and his friends were in somewhat resembled the feline and the bird.

"…Prey…" he murmured subconsciously.

The other couple continued their conversation, but his fiancée heard what he said and turned to peer at him with a curious look. "…? Prey?"

The tiger zoanthrope smiled faintly at her and nodded. "The six of us, we are like prey to our enemy, our predator. I felt that you and I were being observed in secret today, and atop that, Yugo shows us an innocent child's toy decapitated."

She grimaced. "That was a pretty damn twisted thing to do."

"I agree."

"…You think it was a message that our enemy has some grudge against Yugo? I mean, a stuffed wolf getting it's head torn off, and him being a wolf zoanthrope - I doubt it's a coincidence-"

"Hey, look guys!" Alice's voice suddenly cut through the conversation.

"What?" the blonde-haired woman inquired, looking slightly agitated at being interrupted.

"It's raining!"

Everyone's attention turned to peer outside, and discovered that with the sun slipping into the hills in the distance, a drizzle had taken its place. Heavy raindrops fell to the earth, making plopping noises as it collided with the floor, and other aspects around the area. The stony sidewalks below turned a darker shade of color with the dampening from the wetness that was quickly spreading all over the place. Clouds overhead gathered together to combine their forces and let out a more resolute sheet of water pour and descend.

"Da-amn, it's a freaking shower," Yugo remarked, whistling lowly.

"You think my sister and Kenji are okay?" his girlfriend asked, biting her lip a little. "Why aren't they back by now??"

"Hey, relax Ally, I'm sure they're fine!" He assured her. "Probably just got caught in the rain or something; they'll be back before you know it."

"If they are not present in this room by the time fifteen minutes passes by, then I am sure that they have returned to our apartment and are presumably resting," the Kenpo master spoke up.

_It's nine-thirty already…_ the nurse thought worriedly. _I hope they're not still stuck outside in the rain…_

*****

_Slam!_ "Looks like I got the room, teehee!!"

"Hey-! That's not fair Uriko, you got a head start!"

She giggled. "Oh well, you still lost, so you gotta go change in the bathroom!"

"Alright, alright…" he grumbled.

When she heard footsteps squeaking away from her direction, she sighed and shook her head, a small smile playing about her lips. The two had been wandering out in their section all day until it'd begun raining, then they immediately headed for the complex. But to no avail, their clothes were soaked practically the whole way through, which forced them to change outfits. The young woman had invoked a contest for the privacy of the bedroom or the bathroom when both of them started sprinting toward the apartment, racing against each other. _I'll make it up to Kenji later on somehow…_

Walking over to her closet, she shivered and hastily tugged a silky pale rose-colored robe from a hanger; stripping her sopping attire off, she slipped into the soft article of clothing, reveling in the warmth over the previous cold feeling. Tossing her former outfit into a hamper inside the closet, she shut the door and proceeded to her bureau to pick out new apparel.

_Knock, knock, knock!_

Looking up from her dresser, the feline zoanthrope called, "Kenji?"

"Yeah, it's me," came the answer from the other side of the tall wooden frame.

A grin danced about her lips. "Need something?"

"Uh, well, some clothes would be nice…" he replied.

She pulled the handle of a drawer and retrieved a pair of navy blue jeans, followed by a white cotton shirt, slinging them onto her arm. Just then, she caught sight of a satin ivory-colored nightgown of hers, the frilly material aligning the sleeve edges, and smiled mischievously. Setting down the outfit that she had previously selected for her fiancé, she grabbed the smooth attire and went to the door, opening it slightly as she stuck her hand through the space.

Suppressing a giggle, she felt him take it and saying, "Thanks," then a split second later, heard an exclaim of surprise, "What the-!!"

The teenager laughed cheerfully, and fortunately backed away at that moment, for the door suddenly swung open and Kenji stood before her, holding her gown with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Giving her a bewildered look, he questioned, "You want me to wear your pajamas, Uriko?"

She was snickering too hard to answer, not even noticing that he clad in only a towel that wrapped around his waist, leaving the rest of him bared.

"Hey, I know that it's nighttime and everything, but I kinda prefer sleeping in jeans and a T-shirt or something of that sort," he told her, quirking an eyebrow in bemusement.

"Heehee, well, I thought maybe you wanted a change of pace!" she piped, glancing at him, batting her eyelashes innocently.

He gave her a half-smirk. "A change of pace is one thing, but this is pushing it a bit, don't you think?"

His companion chuckled some more; a slow grin made its way to his mouth as he quickly set the pajamas down onto the bedpost and strode over to her. Before she could figure out what he was going to do, he snaked an arm around the insteps of the underside of her legs, placed his other hand on her back, and lifted her up into the air. She barely was able to squeak a protest when he dropped her down onto the mattress and moved his body to cover hers to prevent her from scampering away. Smiling devilishly, the dark-haired ninja dug his fingers into her sides, tickling her furiously and instantly invoking a reaction from her.

"Ahhhh!" she shrieked, her cry albeit shaky. "K-Kenji you jerk-!"

He shook his head. "Payback is fair, Riko!"

Even as she was squealing in what seemed to be delight, the Kenpo student struggled against his hold, trying to push him off of her. Unfazed by her show of resistance, he continued his task, soon hearing breathless gasps spill out from her lips, filling the formerly serene environment. If the couple were in a different situation than their current one, then the position that they were in would have felt awkward to both of them. She twisted her figure in many directions, attempting to wiggle out from under him, but it was hard for to concentrate while she was laughing from the tickle assault.

After a few more minutes dragged on, he finally stopped, and she released a sigh of relief, which became cut short when he pinned her wrists firmly to the pillow her head was lying upon. Her lips curled into a pout as she said, "Okay, you got me back, so we're even… Can you let me up now?"

He grinned slyly. "Hmmm… …no."

"Grrrrrrr…!" she growled.

The seventeen-year-old glanced downwards briefly, and was surprised when he discovered that the knot securing her robe had fallen loose. Blinking, he caught a glimpse of the curves that shaped the sides of her breasts, her creamy skin causing him to swallow hard. His gaze traveled to her smooth stomach that quivered slightly as she tried to regain control of a regular breathing rhythm, her small bellybutton calling to his attention. Realizing that he was acting rather lecherous, looking at her in the way that he had been, the mole zoanthrope squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to disrespect her any longer.

Seeing his eyelids close, Uriko peered at him curiously, wondering why he had done that. Something brushed against the naked flesh of her abdomen, and she jolted a little, then moved her head to look at the source. A flap from one side of his towel was dangling, coming in contact with her skin, but that wasn't her main concern. Her chocolate brown irises widened when she saw that the material encircling his waist was hanging very, _very_ loose… If she had allowed herself to delve any further, she would have gone into his personal territory, and she didn't want to invade his privacy.

"U-um, Kenji…" she mumbled timidly. "Y-your towel is kinda-…" her voice trailed off when he slowly opened his eyes and she spied the unspoken hunger that had arisen in them.

"Riko…" With a strangled groan, he turned his face away from her as dark flush crept up on his already-burning cheeks. "I-I'm sorry, I really didn't mean for this to get… out of hand…"

_He shouldn't be embarrassed; we were just playing around…_ She felt him shift a bit uncomfortably, releasing her arms from their imprisonment, and a small gasp slipped out from her when his hard anatomy touched her belly through the thin barrier of his yellow cotton towel. Her mouth went dry and he flushed even more deeply when he found out that she knew how his body was responding to the their current situation.

A shudder trembled through his form and he said hoarsely, "S-Sorry, I'll go and sleep on the couch outside tonight… you can have the room to yourself."

The young woman gave him a tiny, shy smile. "But… what if I want you to stay here, with me…?"

He coughed wearily. "Riko, if I stayed here, I would want to-…" his eyes bore into hers intensively, "…erm, well…"

She slipped her arms around his neck and brought his face down close to hers, whispering into his ear simply, "…I know…"

_I-I would want to make love to you…_ he finished silently as their lips met in the first kiss they'd shared since they arrived in the States.

She sighed, a shaky, tentative sound that collided with his ragged breathing as he held her a little more tightly, embracing her body to his. He lied over her, his fingers splaying into the small of her back while she gave the base of his neck an affectionate squeeze. Sunlight had vanished along with its source, so the lighting in the room was very dim, but didn't have an affect on the couple. His cheek pressed against hers, the heat transferring to her from him while the male youth began kissing her face. His lips brushed over her eyelids, closing them, then slid down to her nose before going to venture around the smooth skin of her chin.

_We're late for the meeting…_ she thought absentmindedly while her fiancé started teasing her dainty skin, scraping her flesh slightly and gently with the edges of his teeth. _Ohh… but I'd rather stay here then leave…_

Her heart skipped a beat when she felt his hands slip underneath the open folds of her robe and delicately stroke her, delicately shaping her soft curves with his palms. Leisurely pushing aside the material, his embraces became more insistent as his breathing increased, while the towel slid off of him and dropped to the carpet floor. She bit back a moan as he caressed her, his cyan blue bangs tickling her chin when he lowered his head to pay more avid attention to her neck.

"Kenji…" the auburn-haired teenager murmured gaspingly.

Their embraces grew more passionate, and as if on cue, the door to their room swung in an arc, clicking as it closed shut. Leaving the couple enveloped in darkness, neither of them paid any heed to what had just happened, and concentrated on each other. The only light came from a digital alarm clock that sat on the dresser, the screen blinking as seconds turned into minutes and those into longer periods of time. As time slipped by, the young woman's robe slithered soundlessly to the floor while husky words of affection whispered into the air…

****

End of Chapter 4


	5. Give Me Back What's Mine

Bloody Roar III: Deception Strikes From Within ****

Bloody Roar III: Deception Strikes From Within

By Tiger5913

Sequel to Bloody Roar III: Reunited by Chance, a Reflection of the Past

Chapter 5

****

Give Me Back What's Mine

_"Oh…"_

He was back… back in her arms, where she allowed him to embrace her warmly, and she moaned softly at the familiar taste of his lips, his kisses. Pulling away slightly, she gazed dreamily into the set of intense brown irises that she had always adored, while he returned her look of adoration. His eyes told her that everything would be all right, now that he was once again by her side, to help her, restore the sacred emotions that she thought had been forever banished from her heart. Hugging her trembling form closely to his, she started to weep from the joy of being reunited with him, her teardrops sliding down her cheeks and wetting his skin.

_"Don't leave me…"_

As if to purposely deny her plead, the feel of his body pressed against hers was slowly beginning to drift away, and her tight grip on him broke without her consent. A shocked gasp escaped from her as she glanced at him, an expression of fear on her face for she did not want to lose him again. Quickly recovering from her surprise, she ran after her beloved while the two of them forged eye contact, and he did nothing but merely stare back at her helplessly. A white mist covered the entire area, and she could barely see her surroundings; relying on pure instinct, she kept proceeding foreword. 

_"No!! Come back!!"_

His head hung down in defeat, and she bit her lip, dashing even faster while watery trails streaked her cheeks, chilling her bare flesh with the help of the cool environment. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to give up and succumb into the dark, condemning breeze that was sweeping about her, trying to pursue her to stop following him. When a cry burst free from her lips, her foot caught onto something on the ground, and she tripped, falling down, landing on her hands and knees forcefully. Whipping her face up, brightness was the only thing in her sight, and she let out a tortured sob of combined sorrow and deep frustration.

"Stepheeeen!!!!"

With that ear-shattering scream, Alica awoke from her previous serene slumber, her breaths coming short and strangled. Opening her eyes, she was met with darkness, and instantly knew that she was back in her room; the event she just experienced had been a dream in her subconscious-ness. Blinking in slight bewilderment, it took the confused woman a moment to regain her right state of mind, and she shot out of her bed. Hurriedly throwing the sheets to the mattress, she arose to her feet and ran into her bathroom, flicking on the light switch and leaning over the sink.

_Just a dream, just a dream…_ she assured herself silently as she twisted the faucet knob and caught water in her palms. Splashing her face several times, the raptor zoanthrope was stunned to full awareness, and she dried off with a small towel, clenching the material with her fists in an iron grip. She waited a few seconds, and when her tensed body loosened up a little, she turned around slowly, catching a glimpse of the clock hanging on her wall, over the headboard of her bed.

_Almost three-thirty…_ the quivering female discovered, her lip trembling as her mind conjured an image of her lost significant other…_ NO!_ She shook her head violently, holding the sides with her hands and staggering back to collapse onto the mattress where she had been sleeping just minutes ago. Her face was scrunched up into a grimace, a distressed frown marring her brows as she thrashed wildly, banging against her blankets in an attempt to rid the pain that was poisoning her inwardly.

"Auuuuuggggghhhhhh!!!!!" she screamed in rage, gritting her teeth.

Hate filled her mind, converting her thoughts into blood red images of torture, agonizing acts of atrocity that brought pain to the one that was her target. Her victim would suffer for making her lose control of her edge, her sanity, in these times of heartbreak and forlorn yearning that was caused by that cruel person… **_all_** by him…

Pushing her face into her pillow so that no one else would hear, Alica yelled furiously, "I swear by Stephen's name that I'll kill you, Yugo Ohgami!!!"

*****

_…Hm, they should be in there._

Tilting his head in curiosity, the tiger zoanthrope rapped his knuckles against the door of the room that his martial arts student and his nephew shared. When only silence answered him, he glanced at his wrist and murmured, "Ten-thirty now… huh…" Other noises that he heard was shuffling from down the hallway, where his fiancée had arisen and was changing into an outfit for the day ahead of them.

Making a quick decision, he grabbed the knob, and twisted it, pushing the tall wooden frame inwardly as he stepped inside. Looking around, the Kenpo master saw no one occupying the area, only a bed with the sheets made and the pillows propped up, grazing the headboard. He frowned slightly, feeling baffled, but then spotted a small piece of paper lying on the covers; he walked over and picked it up, reading the contents.

__

Uriko and I woke up early this morning, and we're going out to continue our search - Uranus and Strider volunteered to show us around the city. Ran into some trouble yesterday, which we'll tell everyone about later on today; tell Yugo and Alice that we're both sorry for missing the meeting last night.

Kenji

The message was crisp, succinct, without emotion; his head dipping down albeit, Long sighed, trying to brush aside the feeling of hurt that was bubbling up inside him. Unknowingly crumpling up the note in his fist, he strode out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him, starting to proceed through the hallway.

"Hey-!" a feminine protest reached his ears when he bumped into the leopard zoanthrope and he immediately gave her an apologetic look. "Damn, be careful to watch where you're going… …and where's the runt and her lover-mole?"

"They left earlier this morning," he informed her quietly, tucking the paper ball into her hands. "I found a note on the bed from Kenji saying that he and Uriko are out browsing the city with our guides, Uranus and Strider."

"Huh…" she unfolded the note and read it quickly. "…No explanation for why they didn't meet up with us last night?"

He shook his head.

"Kinda rude if you ask me," Jane remarked, scowling a little. "But then again, teenagers these days…"

A half-smile spread over her fiancé's lips. "I suppose everyone acts that way sometime in their youthful years…"

She smirked. "I _still_ act like that, hah!"

Grinning smugly, she nudged him in the side and strut into the living room, walking toward the kitchen. Partial way there, she was stopped when the raven-haired zoanthrope caught up to her with ease, and encircled her waist with his arms from behind. Embracing her gently, he waited until she tucked her head into his neck, and he leaned foreword, softly brushing his mouth across her cheek.

"Should we continue our own search after breakfast?" he inquired, resting his face against the side of her forehead.

"Hell, of course," she grunted. "That Alica character isn't going to get away with all this terrorism to innocent humans; it isn't right for her to play God like that."

"I agree completely…" he sighed sadly. "I wonder what is it that drives people of her kind to such extents, where they lose their train of sane thought and begin to ignore the morals that nag at their consciences."

"I haven't a clue," The blonde woman shrugged. "They couldn't have been born that way though, that's for sure."

_Is the loss of sanity the outcome of an internal battle…?_ He wondered silently as his accomplice led him toward the door to leave the apartment and go out. _Or perhaps it is when a great importance is taken away, the person no longer feels the need to be conscientious or act kind to others when he or she is depressed and distraught…_

*****

"This place is so cute!"

Strolling down the sidewalk, the seventeen-year-old female hugged a stuffed cat to her chest, burying her nose into the silky material of its fur coat. Standing next to her, Uranus allowed a small, tight-lipped smile to form over her expression, and she cast a glance over at where the men were. She spotted the two around the cash register, each looking a little embarrassed at being inside a store of glass delicates and other items being sold that they considered 'un-masculine'. Chuckling, she turned her attention back to the shelf of playthings, and scanned them absentmindedly, her eyes perking up in surprise when she spotted a certain toy. Her eyebrow raised in interest, and a wry grin made its way to her mouth as she took the little animal before anyone else could purchase it.

She barely finished tucking it into her handbag, when a cheerful voice from behind her spoke up, "Hey! You find anything?"

Facing the speaker, she was slightly flustered, but hid it and replied, "Well, not really; after you've gone here several hundred times, it gets harder to find new things that you don't already have."

The Kenpo student beamed joyously, clutching the stuffed cat in her arms. "Since this is just my first time, everything is new to me, so I see a lot of things that I want to buy. But…" she grinned at her fiancé, who smiled back at her with his eyes. "I think if I stay here any longer, I'll embarrass Kenji so much that he won't want to come back to this store anymore, so we should probably leave now!"

"Sure," her guide agreed, a mysterious glint glimmering in her jade-yellow pupils.

The duo went to the cashier, and Uriko reached into the back pocket of her jeans to pull out her wallet, but she felt a hand holding her wrist. Looking up, she was greeted with the smiling face of her fiancé, and he gave her a quick wink as he paid for the item, receiving a tight hug from her as thanks. The couple's guides glanced at them with weary interest, and exchanged a smirk before the four of them left the store together.

"So… where're we going next?" The dark-haired ninja inquired, looking around at the other shops aligning the streets with a bemused expression and a raised eyebrow.

"Hmmm…" Strider mused, slightly cocking his head to the side. "A couple of Alica's henchmen were spotted lately near this alleyway adjacent to 'Hell's Angel', so I think that should be our next destination."

"Good idea," his partner agreed, grinning coyly. "Never know what you're going to find at a place like that; it's a surprise every time."

"Okay then, let's get going!" the younger female said enthusiastically. "The last we want is to give that cruel wicked witch more time to hurt those innocent, peaceful humans and zoanthropes…" She appeared albeit remorseful as the others nodded solemnly, and obliged to her command.

*****

"…I really think that coming here was a bad idea."

The nurse raised a finger to her lips. "Shh, don't complain, Yugo! The newspaper said that most of the time, fights and other bad things that go on usually are reported that they started from this place…"

He narrowed his eyes, scanning the shadowy alleyway suspiciously, tensing up as he felt a chill run down his spine. "It could've been publicity bullshit for all we know."

"Hey, doesn't hurt to give it a try, right?" She turned to look at him and her ruby red irises shone with determination. "Come on, if we're lucky, maybe we'll find out some information about Alica from the dwellers that hang around here…"

"Sure, whatever you say Ally," her boyfriend answered absentmindedly, suddenly stiffening when his senses detected an unfamiliar scent of another zoanthrope in the area. _…Someone else is here…_

A shuffling noise immediately caught Alice's attention, and her head quickly jerked toward the direction where she had heard it. Facing a dark corner that was a couple yards away from her position, she frowned in bewilderment when she didn't see anyone, yet she felt uneasy about that section. Stepping foreword cautiously, she jumped back in surprise when a figure clothed in a tan, full-body cloak emerged from the shadows, identity sealed by the enveloping embrace of the darting shadows.

"Um… hello…" the rabbit zoanthrope spoke, slightly nervous with the appearance of the newcomer's stiff pose, along with a very lowly ducked head. "Who… who are you? Do you need help with anything?"

"Everyone in this world always wants help with _something_…" the stranger replied mysteriously in an undetectable tone of voice. "We're all just worthless pawns in this little episode called life."

"…I see," she murmured. _What does he or she mean by that…?_

"Tell me something," the person requested, turning to the side and raising their head a little.

"Yugo… come here," the cyan-haired woman whispered under her breath over her shoulder to her beau. Out loud, she answered, "Alright…"

"…When you lose a very precious importance in your otherwise meaning life to a cold-hearted, careless, spineless little coward, what would you do?"

"Wh-what…?" she stammered. _What kind of question is that??_

"You heard me." The words were cool and unwavering.

"I… erm…" she felt a hand clasp hers, and knew that Yugo was trying to reassure her. He was fixating the enigmatic bystander with a curious, yet doubtful look, his jaw tensing as he pondered over the identity of the person.

"Hey, to be blunt, who the hell are you?" he piped up casually.

"Yugo!" His girlfriend hissed, nudging him in a scolding manner.

"I will answer nothing until you do the same first. Then I can return the favor." Was the chilly reply.

_Gotta screw loose in their head,_ he snorted. "Fine, fine, fine, be that way. Well, if something like that happened to me, I'd go find the bastard and beat him down, since he wouldn't deserve to walk around in perfect, mint condition for making me go through all that."

"…" the stranger shifted position, wounding up facing the other two. "I agree with you completely."

"…Huh?" a look of surprise formed on the boxer's face. "…You do?"

"Yessss…" came the malicious hiss. "After all, the only compensation for a situation like that…" The head rose up, but the couple could see just the shadowy outlines of a pair of eyes, and a glint that reflected off of the irises shown the resentment that was flaring in them. "…Is revenge."

Before either of them had time to ponder about that, the figure launched a lean leg foreword and caught Yugo in the abdomen. Gasping in unexpected-ness and from pain as well, he scrunched his body to ease the hurt, but then straightened to his full height a moment later, clutching his injury. His companion grasped his free arm, looking him over with concern; she was about to inquire if he was all right, but he shook his head, telling her to ask later. Glaring at the attacker, he demanded, "Damn! What did you do that for?!"

"It's about time that you paid for all the suffering that **you've** caused, you wretched beast!" The voice was higher-pitched, revealing the person to be female.

"What kinda freaking psycho woman are you?!" He questioned rhetorically, reaching his hand out to pull away her cloak.

She twisted back, spinning in a full circle and kicking his wrist with the heel of her boots, cutting a wound into his skin with the metal spikes that aligned the edges of her footwear. Groaning, he retracted his forearm quickly, gazing at the stranger in astonishment, but his expression changed to a scowl as he ground out, "Who the hell are you?!"

"And leave him alone!!" Alice shrieked, ducking down and tripping the woman with a swift swing of her legs.

Falling to the ground, she let out a screech, but regained her posture and flipped into a standing position, eyeing the duo angrily. "Two against one huh?! Are you too scared to fight by the rules, Ohgami??"

Yugo's head snapped to attention and he kept an arm covering his girlfriend's form protectively. "How do you know who I am…?!"

"Don't worry about that!" She snapped impatiently. "Unless you wouldn't rather care about your life!!"

A haunting, estranged laugh escaped from her. "Someone you don't know! Hah! How humorous!" Her eyes bore into his menacingly. "If you don't know me, then you must have forgotten all about your past. I remember when you were a seventeen-year-old brat, meddling into things that weren't any of your business, but you wanted to be involved in them regardless!!"

"…When I was seventeen…?" a frown marred the wolf zoanthrope's brows. _Seventeen… Didn't I help old Gado destroy the Tylon Corporation back when I was seventeen…?_

"What are you talking about?" His girlfriend asked. "He didn't do anything wrong when he was seventeen! He helped save a lot of people at that time, as a matter of fact!"

"Help?!" The woman seethed lowly. "**_Help??!!_** What kind of bull are you trying to pull??!! He didn't 'help'! He destroyed! Wrecked! Ruined the lives of people that he obviously didn't give a thought about because they weren't **important** or _significant_ enough to him!!"

"Hey-!" he started to protest, but then she released an inhumane cry, and without warning, launched herself at him, cutting off his words and slamming him to the ground.

"DIE!!!!" She screamed insanely, striking at his head with her clenched fists. "I'm going to hurt you the same way you did to others!!!"

He could only wonder what she meant by that statement, before one of her blows struck him especially hard, and he drifted off, unwillingly slipping into the unconscious world.

****

End Of Chapter 5


	6. The Past Comes To Haunt

Chapter 6 ****

Bloody Roar III: Deception Strikes From Within

By Tiger5913

Sequel to Bloody Roar III: Reunited by Chance, a Reflection of the Past

Chapter 6

****

The Past Comes To Haunt

His girlfriend released a shrill scream.

Unaffected by the noise, the distraught, mysterious woman continued striking at the figure that she had downed, hitting him relentlessly with her fists. Lethargy never seemed to faze her as she continued battering him, an unspoken flame of fury ignited in her twin icy indigo eyes, the energy of her anger lashing out at the poor wolf zoanthrope with its invisible waves of scorching heat. Shaking her head, the dark-haired nurse snapped back to her senses, and leapt at the stranger, knocking her away from the unconscious, vulnerable body of her boyfriend. Time seemed to stand still when the two females fell to the floor simultaneously, shoving and clawing the other in order to be more dominant.

"How-dare-you!" the rabbit managed to squeeze out as she was trying to pin her opponent with her elbows.

"How dare _me_!!" she shrieked, struggling wildly. "How dare **you**! The nerve you have to attack me!! And your stupid wolf boyfriend, he ruined my LIFE, taking away the ONLY thing that was worth my living for!! He deserves to be **_punished_**!!!" With that, she threw Alice off of her and jumped up, hobbling to a standing position while glaring at the other bystander, a slightly deranged, unstable glint hovering in her irises.

"You're crazy!" the twenty-three old zoanthrope declared. "I don't know who the heck you are, or why you're mad at Yugo, but you've got the wrong person! He'd never ruin anybody's life! He's a gentle, sweet, caring person!!"

"Lies, lies, all lies!!" The attacker screeched, grabbing her sides and leaning foreword a little as if she were in pain. "Poison, he's poisoned your mind!! You, you're too blind to see anything, because he's clouded your mind! He's manipulated you just like that old fool Hajime Busuzima did to those poor, unsuspecting captives of my brother's!!"

"Your brother? And …Busuzima?" she wrinkled her nose in distaste. "How do you know that name??"

"Shut up! I don't have to tell you **anything**!" the intruder said hysterically. "All you have to know is that I'll stop at nothing to make sure Yugo Ohgami gets fatally punished for what he did to me, and whoever dares interfere _will be killed as well_!!"

_This woman… is crazy!_ Alice thought, flinching at the confident tone of voice that the other female portrayed as she had spoken those menacing words of threat. _What the heck does she want with Yugo?? And… how does she know Busuzima??_

"Get out of my way!" her foe suddenly demanded, bending her knees, ready to spring at and get rid of who or whatever got in her path. "I'm going to finish this!!"

Her crimson eyes widening, the nurse crouched her body and took to her battle stance, gripping her clenched fists tightly as she lightly hopped around her beau's body, unwilling to let the crazed stranger win her way. Without warning, the mysterious woman suddenly leaped and dove for the unconscious zoanthrope lying on the ground; a split second before she could land on him, Alice jerked and twisted, knocking her form away with her own. Both fighters fell to the floor harshly, wincing at the hard impact, but the villain arose first, her eyes blazing with anger, and a sliver of lust for blood glimmering in her darkened pupils.

"Stay out of this!! This is none of your business!" She shrieked, the knot securing her hood loosening as she thrashed and screamed, almost resembling a young child throwing a tantrum. "I won't let **him** get away free, not now, not when I'm so close!"

_She seems really determined to hurt Yugo…_ the cyan-haired female winced at the loud tone of voice echoing through the lonely, deserted hallway of the alley. It just occurred to her how alone she and her boyfriend were, and if she didn't get the two of them out of their current situation, than no one else would be able to. _Well, I won't let her touch him again! Not my Yugo… I didn't let the ZLF take him, and I won't let this crazy woman try to either!_

"Are you ready to give up yet?!" her opponent bit the words off coldly, giving off an arrogant smirk, conceited confidence aligning her clenched lips.

The twenty-five year old immediately snapped to attention, and replied defiantly, "No! Never!"

The stranger's face scrunched into a furious snarl, and she threw her head back, unleashing a loud, inhuman yell that stunned nearby birds, causing them to engage into flight. The volume made Alice cringe and her hands shot up to cover her ears, but she kept her ruby red eyes focused on her for, not wanting to be caught by a surprise attack. The woman cut herself off abruptly, and swooped down to pick up a metal crowbar that had been listlessly lying down on the ground, surrounded by other scraps of unwanted garbage. With a determined look plastered over her expression, she darted foreword at the nurse, swinging the heavy object directly at her.

"Ahhhh!!" The rabbit zoanthrope cried out as she dove aside, but the bar still managed to lash at her lower thighs, and penetrated her skin, scratching nasty cuts along her the back of her legs. Painfully, she lurched and hit the floor on her stomach, having the wind knocked out of her; wheezing, she struggled to her knees and watched the growing scenario before her eyes.

"HAH!" the estranged intruder bellowed triumphantly as she started proceeding toward her target. "Yugo Ohgami, I finally can have my revenge!!"

"NO!!" Alice screamed, summoning strength from inside her to launch at the other bystander. Anticipating the move, her foe ducked low enough for her to sail over her head, then guffawed in mockery at her attempt, strands of coal black hair peeking out of her hood to gasp in the sweet oxygen of the day and not suffocate any longer.

"You're not bad!" The woman commented, laughing almost hysterically. "But it's a shame you're not good enough to save your pathetic lover!"

_Yugo!!_ The nurse shouted inwardly, holding her now-sprained ankle. With her free hand, she stretched toward him, and was rewarded with a vicious swipe of the crowbar, receiving a bleeding scar on her tender palm, forcing her to retreat her arm. "Leave him alone!!"

"Fool! Do you think I would back away now after I've gone so far?!" The villain shook her head vigorously, her dark tress whipping about her face, and she knelt down next to Yugo, holding the bar over her head with both of her hands. "After years of suffering, it's your turn to pay your debt!!" She descended the object speedily, aiming for his neck.

"SISTER!!!" The protective cry pierced through the alleyway, making the woman flinch and she was temporarily distracted from her task. She wasn't able to resume it, for a swift tackle shot into her body, the impact knocking her far, throwing the crowbar away from her grasp, and slamming her into one of the brick walls securing the area. Another figure went along, using her form as a shield, and pinned her against the hard surface; her head struck the structure as well, and she howled in pain. 

"Stay the _hell_ away from my **brother**!!" A voice shouted into her ear as angry puffs of breath blew onto her cheeks, and the wall dug into her shoulder blades when more pressure insured. "You touch any, and I mean any, of my other friends, and I will tear your goddamn head off, do you hear me!!"

"Who are you?!" she screeched, twisting and turning to throw off the figure that was trapping her, "No, I don't care who you are!! I'm just here to destroy Yugo! And if you try to interfere, I'll do away with you as well! I'll kill all of you!!"

Slightly dazed by the sudden turn of events, Alice tiredly wiped her eyes with the back of her wrist, and gazed around to see who had arrived to save her and the wolf zoanthrope. "U-Uriko?"

"I'm here, Sister," came the Kenpo student's reassuring reply, and the teenager wrapped her arms around her sibling, who had begun to tremble. "Uranus, Strider, Kenji, and me. We're gonna get you and Yugo out of this, okay?"

Meanwhile, the enigmatic woman was still fighting against her captor. "Let go of me this INSTANT!!"

His fingers biting into her skin, uncaring of her person, Kenji ground out through gritted teeth, "You think I'm stupid?! You think I'm gonna let you free, so that you just go and try to hit my brother with that damn crowbar of yours, and let you kill him?! If you _ever_ try doing that again, I swear I'll-"

Her dark-colored irises disappeared under her eyelids when she slid them shut, and concentrated deeply, giving into the fighting urges stored within her. The next instant, a blinding light emitted from her body, coupled with a wave of energy that threw the ninja up into the air, and he slammed into his fiancée's form. When the flash faded, everyone adverted their attentions to the spot where the foe had previously been in, surprised to see another figure in her stead. Arising from the ground was a creature that sported ripped shreds of dark clothing hanging off of two scaly arms, and a pair of feet stood a firm position, wicked claws latching onto the concrete.

"She… she's a…?" Alice murmured questioningly, her eyes wide with shock.

A bone-chilling screech from the mysterious creature spliced into the serene environment, and malicious yellow eyes glowered at the others as the animal lifted a long nose up and sniffed the air cautiously. Observing the predicament, and spotting the teenage couple scrambling to cover her victim's body, she howled in furious anguish and whirled around, dashing away from the scene. Taking notice of cartons and various items scattered about the alleyway, she jumped onto them, ascending to the top of a nearby building and disappearing from sight.

A quivering moment later, Uriko tore her eyes away from where the enemy had vanished off to, and turned to her sister. "Alice… you okay? What happened?"

"What did that cruel witch do to my brother??" The ninja asked heatedly, taking a hold of Yugo's wrist and checking his pulse.

"A fight obviously occurred here," Uranus stated matter-of-factly, her usual pleasant facial features clouded over with an unreadable expression as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You should have brought your sister a safer distance away from whoever that was, Uriko," Strider pointed out, a frown creasing his brows as he glanced over in the direction where the villain had just been seen darting off. "You could have been in danger. That person was a zoanthrope."

"Oh, really?!" Kenji snapped at him impatiently, standing up and whipping his head to shoot a glare at him, greatly agitated that the other youth's attention had been directed to his fiancée. "None of us had noticed! Not even when she morphed right in front of our eyes! Do you really think we're all blind?!"

The cat zoanthrope cringed a little at his tone of voice. "Thanks for your concern, Strider, but I'm okay. I can keep myself out of trouble, don't worry."

A wry smile crossed over his lips. "But I _am_ worried. About all of you newcomers," he quickly added, but still made the seventeen-year-old male raise an eyebrow in irritation. "A foreign place can be vicious and deadly, especially since none of you are familiar with the areas around here. Yet, I presumed that the two of you," he gestured at the nurse and her boyfriend, "would have had no trouble fending for yourselves. Perhaps it would more wiser if you traveled in groups of three from now on."

"We don't need to babied," the mole zoanthrope spoke lowly, narrowing his eyes and silently challenging the guide. "If you had been in Japan a couple years ago, you'd see that we handled our problems just fine, even solo in some situations. Just because we're in unknown territory now doesn't make us more vulnerable-"

"No, Kenji," Alice held up her hand to quiet him. "He's right. We're not completely used to things here, so we are a little more unguarded because there's really no telling what'll happen next."

"Yeah…" Uriko agreed quietly, placing her hand on her sister's shoulder supportively. "I mean, back home, we had more confidence because we knew our own territory pretty well. If we wanted to trap an enemy somewhere, we'd know where to go in order to gain the advantage in the battle, you know what I mean?"

Though he knew that the others sounded reasonable, Kenji merely grumbled a bitter reply, "You'll agree with someone you barely know, yet you won't even take my words into consideration."

"Now, now," Uranus chimed in, shaking her head as she wagged a slender finger. "Let's not get into another fight, shall we? I believe that the next wise decision would be bringing Mr. Ohgami back to the complex so that he could rest and heal up…" 

"Oh!" the dark-haired nurse exclaimed. "Yugo!" She picked up his wrist and held his hand in both of hers, biting her lip as she looked down at him. "I don't know how badly he was hurt by that woman… We need to hurry and get him back!"

"Agreed," the female escort nodded. "Let us be on our way then."

The two guides assisted Alice in lifting her boyfriend into the air, and supporting his limp body as they slowly began trudging out of the dark alleyway. Strider peeled away at the intersection to flag down a cab, while the young couple watched them from their motionless positions, then turned to glance at each other at the same time.

The feline zoanthrope spoke first, "Listen, Kenji, I didn't mean to doubt you back there-"

He shook his head. "It's okay, I'm the one who needs to apologize. I didn't mean to snap at Strider, but… but it felt like he was implying that you needed someone to take care of you… and I know how you don't like to be dependent on others. I was… I guess I just got a little defensive."

A corner of her lips curled into a half-smile. "If you were defending me, then I can't be mad at you for doing that. But… I really can take of myself. Strider was concerned, you know, since he was just as shaken up about what happened to Sister and Yugo as much as we were. I'm sure that he and Uranus want us to try and enjoy traveling out to the States, and not completely regret coming here."

"Yeah, you're probably right," the cyan-haired youth said, although the look in his eyes told her otherwise. "…I wonder if anything happened to Long and Jane today. Weren't they scouring around Central Park or somewhere like that?"

"Yup," She replied, going to her significant other and slinking an arm around his elbow as they spotted two cabs approaching the sidewalk, and quickly started strolling toward the vehicles. "I hope they're okay…"

_They're no safer than we are._ The seventeen-year-old male thought matter-of-factly as his expression clouded over slightly at the feeling of discomfort. _Is this how the rest of this little 'outing' is going to be like? The six of us craning our necks to look out for the slightest signs of danger, all the while conveniently becoming distracted and vulnerable to the enemy?_

"Come on, let's get in," the Kenpo student interrupted his thoughts just then as she tugged open the door of the second cab, waving her hand toward the insides to prompt him.

Shrugging absentmindedly, he obeyed, sliding into the vinyl-cushioned seats and gazing out of the window thoughtfully as the driver began pulling away from the curb. Sitting beside him, his fiancée looked at the scenery on her side, letting a small sigh escape from her while she fondly peered at the various stores and buildings that trickled along the path of the sidewalk. All of a sudden, something snapped to her attention; a shop that was fancily decorated, with a neon red sign that seemed to furtively wink a secret message as the words flashed on and off simultaneously. A minute later, the vehicle had passed by, but the image of the saloon stayed in her mind, and a slow smile made its way over her carnation pink lips.

"Hey Kenji," she started to say, swiveling around in her seat to face foreword, "Your birthday's coming up."

He continued glancing out of the window on his side, and didn't reply for a long time. Just as she opened her mouth to repeat her previous remark, he finally answered, quietly, "Yeah, I know…"

She blinked in slight bewilderment. "…? You don't want to turn eighteen? You finally get to be an adult." 

The teenager sighed heavily, and shifted to forge eye contact with his companion. "A couple weeks ago, before we left home to come here, Yugo brought up something important that involves my eighteenth birthday. First of all, since he didn't know my real birth date when he found me at Tylon, he had to guess, and I just recently learned from Long my true birth date. I have to re-register when I become an adult, with my real birthday, and… what name I legally want to go by."

"Oh…" she murmured as the realization dawned onto her. "And… you're undecided right now, I'm guessing."

He nodded his confirmation. "How do I know which loyalty to choose, the brother who's taken care of me for more than half my life, or the uncle that I had known in the first half of my life that I don't remember? I mean, logic tells me to go with the name and identity Yugo gave me, but then again, I feel that I would be betraying Long as my only living family left if I did that. On the other hand, he was the one who made me lose my father in the first place, so I _should_ go with the Ohgami surname, as a sign of appreciation to Yugo for the help he gave me." Running a hand through his hair in frustration, the ninja snorted and added, "It's a no-win situation…! Either way, I have to disappoint one of my family members."

"Well, you turn eighteen the day after tomorrow, but… but you don't file your registration papers until we go back home, right?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I can't register here, since this isn't where I live, or was born."

"You still have time then," Uriko assured him warmly, placing a hand on his arm sympathetically. "I'd give it at least a couple weeks before we return to Japan, so you can think about it while we're still here, okay? Don't stress about it daily though, then you'll just go crazy," he grinned at that, "but give the thought some consideration whenever you're relaxed, and you feel like you could try and tackle this problem."

"Alright…" the mole zoanthrope said albeit hesitantly, appearing unsure.

"But for right now, think about what's the first thing you're gonna do when you turn eighteen," she piped up cheerfully. "I know it seems like a normal, ordinary birthday like your other ones in the past, but really, this one should be special!"

"I never thought I would be celebrating it in a foreign, unfamiliar country, as opposed to home," he remarked wonderingly. "Although this feels kinda strange, I also feel… unique at the same time."

"Well, of course!" She beamed proudly. "You should, because you're the first of any of us to have a birthday in the States! Hopefully not the last though…" she winked at him knowingly.

"Maybe…" he answered softly, curling an arm around his fiancée's waist and drawing her to him, laying his head atop hers affectionately.

_Don't worry, Kenji,_ she thought with an elusive grin as she nestled into his figure, waiting as the car headed back toward their apartment complex. _After I drag you to that place, you'll have a great time and won't have to stress about that registration issue…_

****

End Of Chapter 6


	7. Joy And Melancholy Become One

****

Bloody Roar III: Deception Strikes From Within

By Tiger5913

Sequel to Bloody Roar III: Reunited by Chance, a Reflection of the Past

Chapter 7

Joy And Melancholy Become One

"Hunh!"

The silver blade split through the air, barely making a soundless whisper, as the sharp edge was cleanly whisked around in a full circle, then ascended into a quick jerk.

_"Hck, hck, hck…"_

A branch from a tree fell to the floor, neatly cut into four different sections, but still retaining a straight line; a thin metal object sliced the passing wind directly above, followed by a ghostly whoosh noise and a blurred yellow whirl. Red cloth fluttered in the breeze, waving a flag of handsome, but deadly crimson, briefly smacking into strands of dark blue, sweaty bangs. Flustered breathing filled the quiet serene environment as the person tightly gripping the handle of the double-headed axe wielded the weapon with graceful expertise.

_Can't let her… get to… the ones… I love most…_

The growing-dusk sky meant nothing to the newly turned eighteen-year-old, and as a matter of fact, the night always suited him better in battling situations, for his vision could almost match that of a nocturnal creature. Besides, in the past, he had always fought in the dark, with the shadows cloaking him from his victim's sight, so that he could leap out and attack at the right, exact moment…

_Bleh,_ he shook his head free of the memories, not wanting to remember the excitement and thrill he'd felt at those times that had crushed his morality.

But even as the young fighter wanted to forget, his will couldn't push away the faint throbbing that started in his hands, the pores in his skin yearning for warm blood to bathe in. His eyes squeezed shut as he began to slightly tremble… Oh, how sinister and malicious it was to have the gasping wheezes of a dying person fanning his cheek, the pleading look in their frightened pupils, begging for him to give back their life. The finality sinking in and crushing the poor bystander's spirit, chest rising and lowering one last time, head lolling dully to one side, body going limp, lifelessly collapsing to the ground…

"A-Argh, no!!" He yelled angrily, clenching his fists against the sides of his temples, letting the axe slip to the floor, landing aside the tree branch. Why was he recalling the old periods of the past when he was under mind-control, roaming out and about to track down and kill people? His lips quivering, he shuddered, wondering if the stimulation of the hunt and the burning hot lust for blood was what motivated that mysterious woman's pursuit of his older brother's death. She reminded him of… she was kind of like… she was almost like… No. She was just like him, back in his assassin days as a younger teenager, three years ago… _N-No! I'm not th-that cruel witch!!_

His muscles tensed, the male zoanthrope bent over and picked up his weapon, then with pain-filled pupils, flung it foreword with all of his pent-up emotion. The axe sailed across a wide distance, the wickedly curved blade coming into contact with a thick tree trunk, digging into and sheathing itself in the hard brown bark. Heaving shaky breaths, Kenji grasped the belts securing his ninja gi outfit tightly, his knuckles turning pasty white as he whirled around and started back for the apartment. Since he trained for quite a while everyday in the wide, open quad of the complex, he could go retrieve his weapon tomorrow; he shouldn't be thinking of bloodshed on an occasion like this, after all.

The teenager wiped off the sweat glistening on his forehead with the back of his forearm, shivering as the thoughts of his previous predicament refused to diminish from his mind. Turning when the corner came up, he barely had a chance to react when all of a sudden, a white cloth was clamped atop his mouth and nose, and a black covering was thrown over his head. He instinctively began to struggle and counterattack, but the chemical scent fluttered into his nostrils, and a dizzy sensation weakened him. Passing out, he wasn't aware of the strong arms that caught him, and picked him up to carry the unconscious youth off elsewhere. 

*****

"Wasn't… a… drastic…?"

The words being spoken were fuzzy to his ears, and he blinked, seeing only darkness, and remembering what had just happened to him, he shot up, preparing to fight whomever abducted him. He was surprised to discover that he could stand with ease, and instantly wondered why his kidnappers would be so careless as to not even restrain him. That was most definitely a foolish mistake, and he would show them why…

Bright light pierced his vision as the black cloth was removed, yanked up from him right at that moment; slightly confused and bewildered, the mole zoanthrope quickly insured a scan of his surroundings.

"Surprise!!!" Came the gleeful shouts that loudly greeted him.

He jolted in reflex, falling back into the chair that he was sitting in seconds ago, while handfuls of confetti were thrown into the air, flowing about the place like mist in a fog. Colorful balloons hovered in the room that he presently was in, coupled with glittery streamers that were strung along the ceiling, all leading to a beautiful sign above the entrance: "Happy 18th Birthday!" Something drooping from his bangs glistened, sparkling into his eyes, and he instantly shrunk in a defensive manner, feeling absurd when he found out that it was merely just another string of decoration.

Lastly, but certainly most importantly, seated around a table for six were his fellow compatriots, his fiancée to his right, and his brother to his left, his other three allies graciously smiling at him. The group wasn't dressed very formally, but not casual to the point where it seemed like they didn't care about the occasion. Yugo and Long were both in a white polo shirt, and black slacks, whereas the women donned beige blouses and tan skirts, with the exception of the leopard zoanthrope in a sky blue tank top that matched the shade of her eyes, and camouflage green army pants.

"Happy birthday Kenji!!" A voice said delightfully, next to his ear. "Were you surprised??"

He turned to look at the speaker. "Uriko!! You mean, this wasn't an abduction??"

"Pssh, yeah right!" another figure snorted from his other side. "You'd give 'em hell if anyone was ever stupid enough to try and kidnap you now, brother! They probably wouldn't get a few feet away before you morph and slashed those bastards' throats to ribbons!"

He shifted his head to glance the opposite way. "Yugo! You were in on this too!!"

"We all were," a sheepish Alice confessed, her cheeks pink. "I had a small container of knock-out chemical in my suitcase that I brought from home, not for this purpose though…"

"Hey, before you kill us," the bronze-haired boxer started to say, "Let me tell you it was Uriko's idea to begin with! We just…kinda added a couple things to make it more exciting-"

"Like the knock-out chemical." The Kenpo student supplied with an impish grin.

"Err, that-"

"And the kidnapping thing."

"Well, uh, yeah…"

Kenji burst out laughing. "I've really never thought you'd have the brains to come with an idea like that, Yugo!"

"Heh, thanks-…wait, hey!!"

"Oh, come now!" Jane threw her straw at him. "You'd better not steal all the credit for this set-up, genius!"

"Where is this?" The cyan-haired protagonist voiced aloud.

"A darling, rather well-known Italian restaurant approximately half a mile away from the A.T. Complex," Long informed.

Giving him a small, curt smile, the ninja peered at his significant other with a wry expression. "Is this a form of payback for that party I threw for you on your fifteenth birthday?"

She blushed, but beamed joyously. "Yup! And don't worry about the shower; you already took one this morning anyway, and you still have a nice smell preserved, so no fretting! Besides, did you really think that I wasn't gonna do something special for your birthday? I mean, this is an important one, don't you agree?"

His eyes clouded over for a brief moment, then it faded, but not before she caught the look and bit her lip guiltily. "Yes, I guess it is…" he slipped his arms around her waist and embraced her adoringly, whispering softly into her ear, "Thank you, Riko…"

Their friends clapped for the couple, while Yugo stopped midway and stuck his fingers into his mouth, shamelessly whistling. Parting, the teenagers adverted their attentions back to their allies, chattering lively until a waiter and a waitress came into the room from the outer sections of the restaurant. They strolled straight over to the head of the table, where the eighteen-year-old sat, and politely wished him a happy birthday, then asked what he wanted to order.

A little over half an hour later, everyone was finishing up on their respective main course choices, and Kenji couldn't recall a time where he had felt more welcomed, accepted, cherished than now, being in his tight circle of friends. Sucking in and devouring the last of his warm, slithery spaghetti from the plate, he laughed along with the others as his brother and the leopard zoanthrope bickered about where the credit of his birthday surprise lied. When he was distracted, his fiancée sneakily slipped away, while the dark-haired nurse, and the Kenpo master tried to keep the two arguers from getting too out of hand in a public place.

"You're so thick-headed and dense!" The blonde woman retorted with a smirk. "All you did was sit there and throw around dumb little ideas, like just putting a blindfold over his eyes and leading him here, or having some stripper pop out of a fake birthday cake-"

"What?" The ninja looked at his sibling incredulously. "…Ah, you know, the last time I checked, this wasn't a _bachelor_ party." _And I wouldn't want to look at another woman's body aside from… Riko's, anyway._ He flushed slightly at the thought.

"Aw, sheesh, it was just a suggestion!" Yugo snapped back, a defensive edge in his voice. "Kenji's never had a surprise party, so of course, I wanted this one to be memorable for him when he's too old to remember anything else."

"Uh, thanks…" Kenji remarked dryly, coughing at the aging reference. "Although I'm kind of hoping not to get old for a while…"

The quarreling was about to be continued, but was fortunately interrupted by the lights in the room suddenly flickering off, then the melodious chorus of "Happy birthday" that filled the air. Strolling in carefully holding a white-frosted, rectangular cake was Uriko, the flickering from eighteen lit candles revealing the shy smile plastered over her dainty pink lips. As she continued to sing, one by one, his other friends smoothly joined in, and they finished the song with a flourish, as the cat zoanthrope set the pasty down before the ninja.

"Make a wish!" She urged him enthusiastically.

His eyelids slide down to a close. _I wish… I wish that everything will work out for all of us, the issue with Alica, Strider staying the hell away from my Riko, my relationship with Long, and… and the dilemma of my surname…_

He slowly opened his eyes, gathered in a deep breath, and blew as hard as he could, his wish lingering in the essence of his heavily laced breath. The surroundings were immediately shadowed when all of the flames of the candles wavered and died out, leaving the group in blackness. Knowing the exact moment when the room was dark, he smirked albeit as he brought two fingers before his face and whispered a few words quietly. Flames flared up, flickering upon the tips of his digits, bringing a small bit of light in the area, and surprising a "Whoa!" from the others.

"Damn! You scared the crap out of me!" His brother exclaimed, slapping him on the back heartily. "You're not gonna fry my hair with that now… right?"

He snickered. "Hmm, that doesn't sound like a bad idea…"

"H-Hey…! Ally likes my hair-!"

"Oh, brother," the mole zoanthrope shook his head as he was saying one of his trademark phrases. "I was just kidding, Yugo!"

"Let there… be light!" Someone proclaimed at that moment, presumably his fiancée, as a hand reached the small switch and flicked it up.

"What flavor is this?" The birthday youth inquired curiously, glancing at the bright red icing on the cake that spelled out, "Happy 18th, Kenji!"

"Lemon!" The Kenpo student told him, walking back to the table to sit next to him again. "I know you're not really fond of chocolate, but I know that you do like slightly sour sweet things, so I got lemon instead of say, strawberry."

"Aw, you don't know what you're missing, brother; chocolate's the best!"

"Yugo, hush! Wait until your birthday!"

The younger sibling grimaced. "Chocolate makes my teeth ache."

"Why? Don't brush enough?"

"Hey! I have perfectly healthy hygiene!"

The cat zoanthrope quirked a brow. "Um, you guys…"

Rolling her eyes and deciding to take charge of the situation, Jane stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled hard. "As entertaining as this is, you two please be quiet and Kenji, just cut the damn cake so that we can finish this meal and give you your presents at the complex tomorrow morning! It's already fifteen minutes to nine."

He blinked. "…Err, okay…" _At the apartments tomorrow morning…? Huh, I guess you can't stay at this restaurant very long… Too high of demand or something like that… …Hey wait, it's only eight forty-five - why the rush? _Shrugging, he picked up a long knife that had been sitting in the middle of the table for quite some time, while the others plucked the burnt candles off of the frosting surface. His hand quivered for a brief second at the unfamiliar feel of such a cutting tool in his grasp; he'd never been one to handle those sorts of utensils. Brushing the uncertainty away, he gritted his teeth slightly and sliced a thin line down the middle of the cake, hearing his friends applaud, then continued cutting until he'd produced numerous square pieces.

"Heh, would've been more easier to use your claws instead, eh Kenji?" The boxer grinned wolfishly.

His brother merely managed a weak smirk in return as he set down the knife as soon as he had finished. Gathering plastic plates together, the cyan-haired nurse started putting slices of the cake on each one as the leopard zoanthrope passed them out, as well as plastic forks. The ninja raised the first bite to his lips, glancing up at his friends as he silently thanked them for his fortunate luck; catching the eyes of his fiancée, his look turned curious. She gazed at him with a very intent emotion in her light brown irises, but he was unable to identify what she was trying to portray.

_Uriko… what are you thinking…?_ He wondered inwardly, holding her stare, returning it with one of his own.

"…Um, aren't you going to eat, Kenji?" Alice questioned him, slight concern in her tone. "Are you full?"

Breaking the eye contact, he slowly shook his head, and began to consume his piece of cake, making a personal note to remind himself to find some time later and question his significant other. A while post that, the party was wrapping up the partially eaten pastry and any little tidbits that had also been brought along. In pairs, every couple left the restaurant, and hailed two cabs to bring them back to the apartment complex, but before Kenji could board the second one, the auburn-haired teenager stopped him, and sent the driver away, giving their belongings to their compatriots.

He turned towards her quizzically. "…Uriko, what did you do that for?"

"You and me," she started to say, a mysterious smile delicately curving her lips, "Are going somewhere."

"…All right…" he raised an eyebrow. "…Where?"

She giggled and stuck her hand into her pocket, retrieving a black material of cloth. "You'll see!"

Spinning her fiancé so that she faced his back, the seventeen-year-old slipped it over his eyes, tying the ends around his head like a blindfold. Taking a hold of his arm, she leisurely began strolling down the sidewalk, guiding him toward the destination glowering in her mind.

_…Where is she taking me…?_ He hated the feeling of not being able to see, a phobia of his, but fought the urge to rip off the covering. _Well, at least there wasn't another damn fake kidnapping staged this time…_

*****

_Foolish little monsters…_

A hand clenched into a tight vise.

__

Celebrating a petty occurrence while they're supposed to be thinking about how to maintain their own lives in this country.

Sharp fingernails followed the curl, embedding into a rough palm.

__

How the bastard Yugo Ohgami got away the first time is truly baffling…

A tingle traveled up the tensed arm.

__

But I won't fail next time, Ohgami!

Shrill noises were made as the bland surface was brutally caressed.

__

I'll kill you in the name of my lost beloved, and that's a promise!!  


The fist ascended into the air, and then was brought back down hastily, force gathering together at the base to smash through the glass tabletop. Thin lines of blood gradually trickled from the newly created wounds, running along and staining coarse, beige skin. Shards of the broken fragments slipped to the marble floor, crashing and crinkling together, becoming coated with the salty drops of water that fell from tightly shut eyelids. Sitting in the chair, huddled in self-comfort and warmth, the lonely figure wept softly, sobbing for failing the one person that mattered most.

_If you were still here now… would you hate me for my incompetence…?_ The confused question wordlessly inquired, sliding out of the crack at the bottom of the slightly raised window, only to get lost in the vast world of the living, never to be answered.

****

End Of Chapter 7


	8. Crimson Memories, Crystalline Revelation...

****

Bloody Roar III: Deception Strikes From Within

By Tiger5913

Sequel to Bloody Roar III: Reunited by Chance, a Reflection of the Past

Chapter 8

Crimson Memories, Crystalline Revelation (R-rated version)

Miniature bells chimed as the door was pushed open inwardly, and two teenagers stepped into the parlor, one with a black cloth bound over and hiding a pair of bewildered eyes. The companion let loose a cute giggle, then sauntered up to the counter, whispering the time of appointment to the person behind it, and the employee flipped through a schedule book, nodding the confirmation. The un-blindfolded protagonist guided her partner through the fancy beads strung down over the entrance like a curtain covering up a glassy window. Once inside, she reached her hand and took away the object that prevented her compatriot from seeing, and glanced at him expectantly for his reaction.

"Okay, just where are we…"

Curious brown pupils shifted to scan around the new room, spying thin straws of incense smoldering the air, the spicy aroma teasing his nostril senses. Vases of variously decorated flowers were set upon petite ivory-colored bureaus that occupied each corner, the sweet smell from the soft petals intertwining with the other contents of the environment. The beige-painted walls held no significance, but he caught sight of small twin white cots that sat in the middle of the area, and tilted his head albeit, wondering what the purpose of those were for. Before he could ask his question, it was answered when a male and female attendant approached them from behind, and quietly greeted the couple as they turned around.

"Good evening," the woman said with a warm smile gracing her lips, donning all-white attire of a short-sleeved shirt and comfortable jeans.

"Are the two of you ready for the massage?" Her co-worker inquired, wearing the same basic outfit as her, only with tan trousers instead. "You may get undressed in your respective restrooms; there are robes hanging on the door of the changing stalls, and you can leave your clothes inside until your session is over." 

"Alright, thanks!" the seventeen-year-old flashed them a quick grin, then took a hold of her fiancé's arm, tugging him toward where he presumed their destination was. Apparently, it seemed to him as though she had been to the place before, well enough to know where the lavatory was located.

Just then, the realization clicked in his mind. "…This is a massage parlor?"

"Yup. Half massage parlor, half spa house." She replied, letting go of him when they were standing in a hallway that had two doors on each side opposite to the other.

He blinked. _Massage…? Doesn't she remember our first time… _"Oh. How long is our, uh, session?"

"We can stay here about up to twelve-thirty, or leave earlier if you want to." The youth regarded him quaintly. "You don't seem very enthused to be here…"

"No, no, it's not that," he shook his head faintly in denial. "I'm just…surprised." _Does that mean she wants to…?_

The corners of her mouth quirked up. "That was basically the idea."

"Heh," he swallowed albeit nervously, "W-Well I guess we should go get changed?"

She nodded in agreement; then called out as she pushed the tall wooden frame open and breezed inside, "See you back in the room!"

Tentatively wringing his hands together, the young man went into his own facility, going into the first stall he saw, and latching the door shut. A white cotton robe was indeed hanging from a hook near the top, adjacent to a full-length mirror, and he grabbed one of the soft sleeves, sniffing the freshly cleaned soapy smell. Glancing at his reflection, he first untied the twin red scarves around his throat - very few people knew that he wore two instead of just one - and set them on a little ledge jutting from the wall. He unhooked the brown leather belts stretching along each of his upper thighs, from his waistline to his knees, and his pale sun yellow ninja gi outfit went next; the male zoanthrope stripped that off and carefully placed it down next to his neckpieces.

Keeping his tabi footwear and necessary undergarments on, he took the robe from the hook, and slipped his arms through the holes, closing the two flaps together and securing it with a knot. Stepping out of the small changing stall, he pulled the door shut after him, and left the lavatory, making his way down the quiet hallways, instinctively inspecting everywhere, a useful habit he'd picked up from his earliest fighting days. His willowy cyan bangs conveniently fell over his forehead, shading his suspicious-appearing eyes as he proceeded back to the room where his fiancée and the two attendants were waiting.

The woman smiled. "Ready to begin, sir?"

He was a bit taken back by the formal title. "Uh, s-sure."

Her partner turned to the Kenpo student. "Miss, if you would please follow me to the room next door…"

The ninja instantly quirked an eyebrow. "You're going to a separate room, Uriko?"

The female worker spoke respectfully, "The sessions progress with just the masseuse and the client; double-rooming isn't permitted."

Uriko cast her companion a questioning look, while her eyes wordlessly asked him, "What's wrong?"

Shaking his head, he waved the discussion off with his hand. "Okay. Sorry, I was just wondering."

"That's alright."

"I'll be back later," the cat zoanthrope mouthed to him with a captivating wink as she followed the other man out of the current vicinity.

"Now sir, please lay down on the cot," the eighteen-year-old was instructed, and he obeyed, leaning his belly stomach against the mat, feeling the coarse, hard leather through the cotton material of his attire, his eyes staring ahead at the wall.

"Oh… ahem… sir…"

"Yeah?"

"You must disrobe…"

His cheeks flushed. _This feels very embarrassing, somehow._ Smiling at her uneasily, he slowly untied the knot, then shrugged the robe off from his shoulders, hanging onto and hugging it to his waist, then lied back down again.

She glanced at him queerly. "…Okay." Dismissing the matter, the laborer settled her palms upon his bare back, and noticed him cringe, then quickly recover his posture and relax. "Huh…" With that murmur, she began to massage his muscles, feeling him tense up more rather than the opposite.

_"Leave me alone…" _a voice replayed in his mind, coupled with the faint recollection of fingertips brushing against his abdomen… _"Don't touch me, I don't want you to-!"_ He reflexively bit his lip, not wanting to say anything aloud.

The woman moved her hands in a circular motion about his shoulder blades, rubbing his skin in a comforting way, yet to him, he felt unpleasant.

_"You know you want me…"_ a breathy whisper taunted seductively.

He squeezed his eyes shut, becoming rigid and stiff, while the bewildered masseuse paused briefly, then journeyed toward his lower body, near his behind.

__

"You want you want to back me up against the wall and ram into me like a fierce, hot, lustful animal…" His male part flinched at that.

"Noo…" he mumbled from his tightly pursed mouth; fortunately, the female worker didn't hear him utter the soft wail.

For a period of time, he was undisturbed by the dark thoughts, and loosened his muscles albeit, and she smiled, thinking that he was over his previous cold feet. Feeling relieved and somewhat confident, she started to draw his robe away from his waist and further down to reveal more of his flesh.

_"No… I don't want to-"_

_"What's that? You don't want to fuck me?" _A wicked, lecherous grin flashed inwardly as a hand reached past his pelvis and boldly squeezed his manhood. _"That's fine, I'll just fuck you instead."_

The dark-haired teenager realized the cool air breezing across his buttocks and sprung up, and then lashed at the masseuse as one fist clenched the edge of his robe almost protectively. "Gggah! Get away! Don't touch me!!"

"Ahhh!" she shrieked, his threatening tone of voice scaring her.

Whirling around, she darted out of the room fearfully, running into the one next door to her partner; he stopped when she arrived, and while she spoke to him in a hushed volume, Uriko raised her head, wondering what was disrupting the peace.

"M-my client, he lurched at me! I was afraid he was going to attack, so I ran over here!"

The feline's ears perked.

"Are you sure? He seemed perfectly harmless…"

"You don't think I'd know if someone was trying to attack me!!"

"Hey, excuse me," the teenager interrupted the two. "What's this about my fian-boyfriend, trying to attack you?"

Frightened eyes locked onto her chocolate brown pupils. "Miss, I swear everything I say is true! I was merely doing my job, and then he suddenly jumped up, and almost struck me with his hand!"

__

…That doesn't sound like him. "Can I go talk to him alone?"

"Oh miss, I wouldn't if I were you…"

She frowned in disagreement. "He wouldn't hurt me; I know him."

"B-be careful then…"

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes at that warning, the Kenpo student arose from her cot, gathering her robe together and stalked confidently out of the room, going in next door. Her long brown hair hanging over her shoulder in a braid, she brushed her bangs away from her forehead and approached her fiancé, who was lying very still on the mat, his back facing her. Suddenly feeling timid, she stepped toward him slowly, gripping her apparel tightly with her hands, wetting her dry lips with her tongue nervously.

"K-Kenji?" she said softly, reaching her hand out to his shoulder.

"I told her that I didn't want her to touch me… And I'm not comfortable with this person doing so, either…"

Her eyebrow quirked in confusion as she repeated, "…Either?"

Leisurely, Kenji began to sit up, shifting around to look at his companion with intensive, haunted irises, filled with a sliver of pain. "I remember, in Xion's group… when I just turned seventeen, this… this girl…"

"A girl?" Her mouth compressed to narrow into a thin line, and she sat down next to him, loosely encircling his waist with her arm. "What'd she do?"

"She… bothered me constantly, for almost a year," he told her. "At first, it didn't seem very serious, sometimes she'd give me a neck massage after everyone finished training and fighting outside, or ask me to take her for a walk at night, when the others were asleep…"

A knot of annoyance formed in Uriko's stomach. "Go on…"

"Don't be mad at me," he pleaded quietly, "I didn't have any real feelings for her-"

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not mad at you!" She assured him with a weak smile. _Just that stupid little…_ "Continue."

He nodded. "Well, this one afternoon, she brought me a drink before giving me neck massages; I hadn't thought anything of it at the time, so I just drank it without any precaution. Later that day, I felt tired more earlier than usual, and went to bed after getting a scolding from Xion for being a 'lazy, worthless bum'."

_Xion… Cold-hearted bastard…_ "Did you get sick from her drink or something?"

"In a way…" he replied wryly.

"…What do you mean?"

"Everything was blurry, and I was just so groggy that I fell asleep real easily, but then was woken up late that night when someone turned me over on my stomach and started massaging my back. You know me, I think I told you before that I usually don't wear shirts when I go to sleep, unless it's winter, or I'm staying at someone else's house as a guest."

"Yeah," she agreed, remembering that he'd modestly worn a shirt on the nights that he'd slept at her house a month ago when her mother was away visiting a friend. But playing as a mysterious phantom lover in his sleep, she had soon gotten his upper attire off, as well as everything else he'd donned on his third and last evening…

"I… I felt someone touching me…" he mumbled, ducking his head, abashed. "I remembering trying to roll over and I kept pushing the hands away, but the damn things would just come back again… it was like some kind of curse…"

"That girl was the one touching you." The feline zoanthrope stated bluntly.

"I didn't find that out until several nights later," he told her, seeming disgusted at himself. "I didn't drink whatever it was that she gave me one day, and that night, I was alert, so I kept careful watch after everyone went to sleep, waiting for whoever the person was to show up.

"Finally, just as I was getting bored, a shadow approached me, and leaned down close to my face - I could feel her breath against my cheek. When she spoke, I recognized her voice, and I shot up from my bed and confronted her. She didn't take me very seriously, saying that I was being too stiff, and should loosen up, have a little so-called 'fun' to relax."

"Seems like she has _too_ much fun…" the auburn-haired teenager grumbled under her breath.

"What?"

"N-nothing."

He peered at her curiously. "Anyway, I flat out told her that I wasn't interested in people who act like sluts, flaunting themselves shamelessly, but somehow, she didn't seem to get the hint, or didn't want to."

"How so?"

"......" His eyes stayed trained on the ground.

"Kenji…" she placed her hand onto his back and started to gently rub him comfortingly.

"I still get the shivers even now, when I think about it…" he mumbled. "She… uh… g-grabbed me."

Uriko's brows twisted into a look of slight bafflement. "Grabbed you? Where-" The realization struck her and her expression turned sour. "…Ohh." _That…that rotten tramp…_

He quivered albeit. "See what I mean? I was shaken up by almost all sexual activities after that - not as much, but even with you - because she made me feel so… filthy, by doing those things to me back then."

"I never knew…" his fiancée murmured softly, feeling a little guilty for some reason.

"Sorry I didn't tell you till now," he apologized with a sad half-smile. 

"Oh, don't be," she assured him, playfully ruffling through his hair with her fingers. "But, you know… you scared the hell out of that lady who was giving you a massage. She thinks you were trying to attack her."

"Great," he said sarcastically, frowning at his earlier behavior. "Are we going to be kicked out now or something…?"

"No, no…" she shook her head. "As long as you don't suddenly morph and start rampaging around the place, I think we can stay here." She grinned, then she became sober. "Hey… how about I finish the massage instead? Would you be okay with that?"

Kenji raised an eyebrow. "But what about you? I don't want to be selfish."

She shrugged. "You need the relief from stress more than I do. With… well, never mind."

He knew what she had been about to say. "I… I guess so then. If it's really alright with you, that is."

"Please, don't worry about me!" She giggled. "Let me go tell those two attendants, then I'll come back, okay?"

He nodded, and absentmindedly started picking at his sleeve after she left the room, awaiting her return. Heaving a shaky sigh, he lied down onto the cot with the robe hugged tightly to his hips, sliding his eyelids to a close as a ghostly, lustful smile flickered in his mind, and he grimaced. Folding his arms together, he rested his head into the junction, hearing prodding footsteps getting closer, then out of the corner of his eye he caught the sight of his companion standing in the doorway of the quarters.

"Hi, I told 'em," she greeted. "They're okay with it. Actually, I think they're more glad to get a free, easy night than anything else, hehe."

"Heh…"

"Well, let's get started," the Kenpo student flashed him a comforting grin and bound over to his side, bending down to quickly kiss his cheek. "You can ditch the stress now, birthday boy."

_I hope so…_ He willed himself to relax, and the feline zoanthrope dragged a stool chair to her so that she could sit, and placed her hands on his back. Noticing his somewhat gesture of modesty, she just glanced at him fondly, not commenting, and began to knead his muscles. Unintentionally, he tensed up albeit, and noticing it, she ran her fingers lightly over his skin, teasing him and bringing out a barely audible laugh. Squeezing the biceps of his arm, Uriko descended her upper body, laying her head on his waistline, feeling him jolt a bit in surprise as she trailed circles upon his bare flesh with the tips of her nails.

While the strands of her long tress tickled him, she massaged the area around his neck, briefly going to cup his cheek with her palm before shifting to his shoulders. His breathing, although calm, was beginning to quicken ever so slightly, and her sensitive hearing picked acknowledged it; with a small smile, the female youth nuzzled her nose into the shallow crevice of his back. Tracing a single finger along the curve of his spine, she turned her face a little ways to press her lips against his skin, then feeling albeit bolder, allowed her tongue to slip out and moistly lick him.

Shivering at that sensation, the cyan-haired ninja slowly turned his form over so that his significant other now had her head on his belly. His pupils darkened as he silently met her eyes with his, and wordlessly, he arose from his lying position while she did so as well, then leaned over and gently kissed her. His hand smoothly slid up her arm, brushing the whispery cotton material of her robe, identical to his, stopping when he reached her throat. Caressing her tantalizingly, he parted her lips with his tongue and slipped inside, feeling her sharp intake of breath, and started playing with the collar of her attire.

Meanwhile, the seventeen-year-old agilely pushed the article of clothing aside as her hands snaked down to hug his hips, her nails slightly digging into his naked flesh. His quickened pace of breathing fanned against her cheek when he broke off the kiss and nuzzled her neck with his hair, gently biting her tender skin, hearing her gasp. Persistently, he nipped her with his teeth, slowly brushing her robe away from her shoulders, revealing and exposing more of her supple figure, discovering that she wasn't wearing a brassiere. Holding her around the waist, he nudged the folds of her apparel open with the tip of his nose, traveling down, his bangs tickling her throat when he reached the valley between her breasts.

"Kenji…" she moaned, weakly raising her hand up, placing on his chest to stop him. "Not here…"

"Not enough privacy…?" he inquired, kissing her chin, then her lips.

"Yeah…" came her breathless answer as she leaned back enough to forge eye contact with him. "And… and besides, you haven't even tried the Jacuzzi here yet."

"…What exactly are those things?"

"Hmm, you definitely need to try that out then," she displayed a small grin, and stood up, holding together the folds of her robe with one hand and grasping his wrist with the other. "Come on, let's go right now."

"Okay…" he shrugged, following her lead as she walked out of the room, strolling down the corridor and a few minutes later, met an intersection with two doors, like the bathroom area before. "…Why are there two doors?"

She laughed softly. "'Cause one's for guys to change, and the other is for girls, before they go into the spa room. You can't exactly sit in a Jacuzzi in your regular clothes."

His cheeks flushed deeply. "S-so you have to be…?"

"…What, naked?" she giggled nervously. "Not unless you're planning to skinny-dip… For a Jacuzzi, you just have to dress into swim wear, or I guess in our case, we have to stay in our underwear, since I didn't bring trunks or a suit…"

"I see…" he coughed. "Well… I-I'll get rid of my robe and join you inside, I guess."

Her expression turned thoughtful. "You really don't have to do this if you don't want to; I'm not gonna force you."

"N-No, it's okay, really," he said unconvincingly. "See you at the Jacuzzi." Kenji whisked his way into the changing room before she could say anything.

"I don't want to force him…" she sighed, shaking her head.

*****

"…So this is a Jacuzzi."

Clad in nothing but boxers in the pin-drop quiet environment, the ninja shivered from the cold, rubbing his hands together as he stared at the small bubbling pool before him. The warm, crystalline clear water gurgled and hissed when he stuck his feet in, sinking into submission as he sat down onto a step. He welcomed the tepid embrace of the liquid seeping around him, and sighed blissfully, descending toward the bottom, leaning his head back against the railing. He could feel goosebumps trickling up and down his arms as he sat there and waited for Uriko to come, not noticing the protagonist silentlyapproaching him from behind, and the light brown eyes that watched him. A soundless splash was made as a slender figure slithered into the Jacuzzi, sliding over next to his body, arms curling around his waist, lips brushing against his cheek._  
  
_"!" His eyes shot open, and he glanced to his side, gazing into the doe-like face of his significant other.

"I locked the door…" she told him, looking down shyly.

His expression was curious. "Won't they get mad?"

"We-ll… not unless they don't find out…"

"That… that's good then…" he whispered, his cheeks flushing deeply as he buried his face into her baby-soft hair. Pressing her against the cool wall surrounding the pool with his form, the hard muscles of his bare chest meeting her soft breasts, she soon felt him insistently on her thigh. 

"O-oh…" she murmured in understanding, slinging her arms over his shoulders, and encircling his neck; their lips met in a hot, breathy kiss.

The warm water seeped into their clothing with ease, soaking through the flimsy barrier and coming into contact with bared flesh. Uriko lolled her head back when her fiancé began to insistently ravish her neck, letting the long auburn strands of her hair fall into the pool. Lips passionately teased her while gentle coarse palms ran down the sides of her body, lean thighs rubbed against her legs, barely touching the secret place tucked in her feminine folds.

Purring softly, her throat rumbled, vibrating against his cheek, and he smiled sweetly, seductively, licking her shivering, moist skin as he trailed a path to her chest. Tilting his face up, the ninja kissed her heatedly while he timidly placed his hands on both of her breasts, stealing a breathy moan from her. Chuckling softly, he caressed her, feeling the nipples grow hard, and he lightly pinched them, making her whimper and squirm in pleasure.

Mewling, the feline zoanthrope leaned foreword against him more closely, and dug her nails into his skin as his tongue entangled and flirted with hers. He unconsciously began sliding down, becoming more enveloped in the water, and when the warm liquid stung his chin, he jolted in reflex. Shaking himself out of his passion-dazed state, Kenji slowly started to sit up, securely holding the young woman to him as he did so._  
  
_"The pool probably isn't the best place…" he mumbled, sounding groggy and hazy with desire.

"You taste salty," she told him with a cute giggle. "You should take a shower."

"Hm, well, I would have after I finished training, but _someone_ around here stole me away before I could get back to the apartment…" he said with a teasing grin.

"Oh, you-!" She gently slugged his arm, smiling back. "You're so ungrateful, mole-boy."

He feigned shock. "It took you this long to find that out?"

Uriko leaned over and kissed his nose. "Here's a perfect chance for you to shower then. What better place for a stall or a tub to be is there than a spa house?"

"Maybe…" He blinked, willing his eyes to focus, and he scanned the area, suddenly catching sight of a large open stall on the other side of the premises. "Hey… you may be right…"

"Huh?"

"And of course," his expression was wicked. "You're coming with me, Riko."

With that decision, the eighteen-year-old tucked one arm under the instep of her legs, the other supporting her neck, and arose from the pool. She yelped in surprise as he carried her across the room, setting her down when he reached the stall and stepped inside the dimly lit place.

When he was satisfied, he turned and looked at her, his eyes timid. "W-would you like to join me?"  
  
She nodded slowly, blushing; smiling shakily, Kenji extended his hand, and when she grasped it, he led her inside, pulling her closely to him in an intimate embrace, letting her feel his male part through the thin barrier of their undergarments…

*****

Hours later, at the dead of night, the couple left the parlor, fully dressed and strolling down the sidewalk hand-in-hand, smiling at each other before heading back toward their apartment complex.

Unknown to them, jealous eyes eerily watched the two figures, trailing their movement, and a rustle silently disturbed the peaceful environment as the observer whisked away in a stealthy whisper.

****

End Of Chapter 8


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